Grading Jerry Krause's trades after Michael Jordan

Last Dance epilogue: Grading Jerry Krause’s trades after Michael Jordan retired

Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (L), injured forward Scottie Pippen (C) and forward Toni Kukoc watch their teammates play against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second quarter 05 December at the United Center, in Chicago, IL. Pippen has demanded that he be traded to another team following his recovery from foot surgery. AFP PHOTO/VINCENT LAFORET (Photo by VINCENT LAFORET / AFP) (Photo credit should read VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images) /

Kelly Dwyer joins the latest episode of Fastbreak Breakfast to talk about Jerry Krause being a forward-thinking general manager.

The Last Dance uncovered some behind the scenes nuggets and a massive cache of new Michael Jordan memes, but most of the on-court moments were already well-known to NBA diehards.

What some folks might not remember is all of the events that occurred immediately after the Bulls 1997-98 season concluded. Once Jordan retired, Jerry Krause went into full rebuild mode. The kind of rebuild that would make Hinkie disciples salivate with unprotected firsts, cap manipulating sign and trades, and maximum lottery chances.

So how did Jerry Krause do in that rebuild?

To help recap those moves and provide more historical context for the events in The Last Dance, Kelly Dwyer (@KDonHoops) appears on a new episode of Fastbreak Breakfast.

Kelly covered the NBA for Yahoo! and Sports Illustrated and now writes for his own subscription service, The Second Arrangement. He also lived through the post-Jordan rebuild in Chicago and actually remember when John Starks suited up for the Bulls.

Among the topics covered:

Which trade brought back the biggest return? Moving Steve Kerr, Scottie Pippen, or Luc Longley?
What was Krause’s role in innovating sign and trades?
Who remembers Toni Kukoc‘s status as a League Pass darling on the Hawks?
What were the biggest oversights and omissions from The Last Dance?

Fastbreak Breakfast is a podcast for serious NBA fans that is incredibly not serious. All episodes are available on Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud or any other major podcast service.

Music provided courtesy of New Man and Codaphonic.

dark. Next. Net rating, DeMar DeRozan and Ultimate Frisbee

If you want to gain access to exclusive Fastbreak Breakfast bonus content including extra full episodes, go to Patreon.com/Fastbreakbreakfast. We believe in supporting the content we enjoy and also building relationships with our biggest fans, and all of that is accomplished at Patreon.com/Fastbreakbreakfast.

At the very least, consider writing us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts!

Home/Podcasts