Most Shocking NBA Lottery shakeups of all-time

Basketball: NBA Draft Lottery: NBA Commissioner David Stern holding up the envelope with the number one pick in the draft at Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Number one pick goes to the New York Knicks.New York, NY 5/12/1985CREDIT: George Tiedemann (Photo by George Tiedemann /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)(Set Number: X31488 TK1 R1 F8 ) /

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SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES: Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls answer questions 10 June at a press conference before afternoon workouts in preparation for game five of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz to be held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah 11 June. The series is tied at 2-2. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/JEFF HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images) /

13. Sonics Trade Scottie Pippen for Olden Polynice (1987)

Obviously when you think about the Chicago Bulls in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, Michael Jordan is the first player that comes to mind. However, Scottie Pippen is not far behind him in terms of his value, performance, and fame with those Bulls teams. Had it not been for a shocking (and stupid) moment from the Seattle Sonics in the lottery of the 1987 NBA Draft, though, that might’ve never been the case.

The Sonics had the No. 5 overall pick in the 1987 draft after the way the lottery played out. With that selection, they took Pippen out of Central Arkansas and that could’ve been that. Instead, they wowed everyone when they traded Pippen to the Bulls in exchange for center Olden Polynice out of Virginia, the player the Bulls selected with the No. 8 overall pick.

This is another one of those moves and moments that looks even crazier in hindsight, but it was wild at the time too. Even gaining assets in addition to Polynice, it was stunning to see the Sonics not move forward with a player like Pippen. If nothing else, it’s a shocking moment that no Sonics fan will ever forget.

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