If you saw the highly anticipated six-part documentary entitled ‘Last Dance,’ which featured the last season of the Chicago Bulls Dynasty, there’s a section that mentions former Jerry Krause wanted to trade Pippen to get Tracy McGrady to the Bulls.
However, the trade did not go through because Michael Jordan threatened to retire for the second time in five years if Krause pulled the trigger on that trade for McGrady.
“Draft night, I almost got traded for Scottie. Then, the night before the draft, Jerry Krause called my agent, got me up 12 o’clock at night, had me got to a secret location to take a physical,” said McGrady.
“It was about to go down, but MJ made the calls, ‘Yo, if y’all do that, I’m retiring.’ So he stopped that real quick.”
T-Mac was recently interviewed by Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson of Bally Sports and asked about Krause’s infatuation with him.
“You don’t understand the obsession Jerry Krause had with me. It was ridiculous. My agent, Arn Tellem, with the Bulls owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, was cool with Krause. He used to tell me all the time Krause says hello,” Said McGrady.
“Krause says he is coming to get you when you are a free agent. I don’t know what it was, bro, and I don’t know. He saw something in me that he was obsessed with, and from the time I entered that draft, Jerry Krause was a huge fan. He tried to make things happen that night before the draft. And then again in 2000 when I became a free agent.”
Would it have worked if McGrady was later asked if he were to join Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman on the Bulls?
“You gotta think that these guys winning championships and we’re talking about trading a top NBA 50 Player for a rookie; who’s not ready to step into that role.”
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Landon Buford is an accomplished sports and entertainment journalist based in Richardson, Texas, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, WWE, MLB, and the entertainment industry. Known for delivering high-impact stories and headline-making interviews, Buford has earned a global audience through content that blends insider access with compelling storytelling.
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