A Look at 5 of the Best Trades in Chicago Bulls History

Founded in 1966, the Chicago Bulls are six-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champions, having won the NBA Finals in six of eight seasons from 1990–91 to 1997–98. The Eastern Conference team has made the playoffs in 36 of 57 seasons and is known for star players like Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time, as well as Horace Grant, Chet Walker, Luol Deng, and Derrick Rose.

While Chicago has had success drafting and developing players (it selected Jordan third overall in the 1984 NBA Draft), the franchise has also made several shrewd trades to improve its team. Two trades, in particular, brought in players who were instrumental to its success during the 1990s.

Below is a look at five of the best trades in franchise history.

Olden Polynice for Scottie Pippen (1987)

A two-time NBA Executive of the Year, Jerry Krause was the Bulls general manager from 1985 to 2003. The catalyst for the team’s success during the 1990s, Krause had a great eye for talent and facilitated several transactions in building the Bulls roster that won three consecutive titles from 1991 to 1993. The most important trade during this time — and in franchise history — was the 1987 NBA Draft deal that sent Olden Polynice and a future first round pick to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Scottie Pippen.

Polynice, selected by Chicago with the eighth overall pick in the draft, had a respectable NBA career, playing 15 seasons with five different teams. Pippen, chosen fifth overall by Seattle, went on to play 12 seasons with the Bulls and was with Chicago for each of its six championships. The University of Central Arkansas alumnus was an elite wing defender, making the All-Defensive team 10 times in his career, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.

Will Perdue for Dennis Rodman (1995)

Dennis Rodman is a controversial yet talented power forward known for his elite rebounding and defending skills. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011, Rodman is an eight-time All-Defensive team member and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He also led the league in rebounding seven times. Selected by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft, Rodman arrived in Chicago prior to the 1995–96 season from the San Antonio Spurs in a trade for backup center Will Perdue.

Krause, then-GM of the Bulls, was able to acquire a future Hall of Famer for a bench player for a multitude of reasons. Rodman was known for his erratic off-court behavior and had often skipped practices and other team events — he was fined $68,000 by the Detroit Pistons in 1992 for missing training camp and fined $32,500 by the Spurs for four separate incidents in the 1993–94 season. He also made $2.5 million in salary, relatively expensive in those days, and the Bulls were one of the few teams that could fit that price tag under the salary cap.

Rodman thrived in his three seasons with the Bulls and helped the team win three consecutive championships. He led the NBA in offensive rebounds in two of those seasons and defensive rebounds in the other.

Jimmy Butler for Zach LaVine and Others (2017)

One of the best trades in recent memory for the Bulls came in 2017, when the team dealt disgruntled star player Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and Lauri Markkanen. While Butler, now with the Miami Heat, was and remains a solid player (he’s a five-time All-Defensive team member), the Bulls built a foundation for the future by acquiring LaVine.

The 13th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, LaVine averaged 16.7 points per game in his first season with the Bulls and averaged at least 23.7 points per game in each of the following four seasons. He was an All-Star in 2020–21 and 2021–22. Markkanen, a member of the 2017–18 All-Rookie team, averaged an impressive 15.6 points per game through four seasons with the Bulls.

Mario Austin for Carlos Boozer (2010)

A two-time NBA All-Star, Carlos Boozer averaged 15.5 points and 9 rebounds per game through four seasons with the Bulls. An impact player in the front court, it’s hard to believe the team acquired the eight-year veteran from the Utah Jazz in 2010 by giving up only Mario Austin and a second-round draft pick as part of a sign-and-trade deal.

The addition of Boozer gave the Bulls a solid 1–2 combination with Rose, while Austin never played a single game in the NBA with either the Bulls or Jazz. Utah selected Malcolm Lee, who played just 36 games over three seasons, with the second-round pick it received from Chicago.

Reggie Theus for Steve Johnson and Draft Picks (1984)

While the Bulls lost this trade based on player production, the deal itself helped Chicago finish low enough in the standings to select Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft. Chicago dealt fan favorite Reggie Theus, who averaged 17.7 points per game through five seasons with the team, to the Kansas City Wings for Steve Johnson and multiple second-round picks. Johnson was an adept bench player for the Bulls, but far less effective on the court than Theus.

Chicago finished the 1983–94 season with a record of 27–55, which positioned them third overall in the draft. The team used that pick to select Jordan, who dramatically altered the history of the Bulls and brought the team six championships.