Following the Chicago Bulls’ fifth championship during the 1996-97 season, former Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause had his eyes set on a rebuild. Krause was on the brink of a move that would have altered the Houston Rockets franchise forever.
The Bulls knew Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan were aging, and Krause felt it was time to start over, much to the chagrin of Jordan and Pippen. This was detailed during the first two episodes of The Last Dance, which aired on ESPN on Sunday night.
Pippen had one year left on his contract, and the Bulls had decided they were going to trade him, rather than give him a new deal.