Back in the ’90s, playing with Michael Jordan was a dream that didn’t come twice. It was a dream opportunity for any player to have a shot to play with him. So, just how disappointing would that have been when you find the opportunity almost at hand, only to be taken away the next moment? That’s what happened to Olden Polynice. He was picked by the Chicago Bulls in the 1987 draft, only to be traded immediately for Scottie Pippen. The Bulls had the eighth pick, Seattle had the fifth, but behind the scenes, the trade was already made. Polynice had no idea he was just a piece in a bigger puzzle.

He spoke about this regret back in 2014, and it’s clear the feeling never left. In an interview with TMZ, Polynice didn’t hold back. “We were never SUPPOSED to be traded. If I had played for Chicago, we woulda won more titles,” he had said. He even argued that his clean health record gave him the edge. “I’ve never had migraines like Scottie … so there were a couple of years they really could’ve beaten Detroit … and they didn’t,” he added. He believed that his presence would’ve helped the Bulls beat Detroit more often and reach nine total championships. But that incident is over for years. So has Polynice cooled down?

And years later, he still sticks to this belief! Polynice revisited the story on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast. When asked how many rings he would’ve had, he said, “Oh, I have a couple. I definitely have a couple.” He followed it with a direct shot once again: “The Bulls have extras because I didn’t get migraines when I played, unlike somebody.” Polynice then explained how the trade was already decided before the draft started.

“But the NBA had these crazy rules where they can’t announce trades until the draft starts,” he said. “So officially we were traded for each other, but it was already done.” It was a gut punch that stayed with him for years, but he claimed to have known the result beforehand. It’s just that he didn’t know how he would end up with Seattle. “Who the h– is Scott Pippen?” Polynice remembered thinking. He hadn’t even heard the name before. “I only worked out for Seattle and New York. New York had the 18th pick. I’m not going 18,” he said. When the Bulls called Pippen’s name, Polynice panicked.

“I look back at my agent and I’m like, ‘Yo man, what the hell’s going on?’” he said. The emotional whiplash was real. “’Oh, I’ll play with Michael Jordan.'” I’m going crazy. I’m like, ‘Hey yeah.’” But moments later, it all flipped. “Y’all need to exchange hats. Y’all been traded for each other,” he recalled. That was his first taste of the NBA, and it came with a hard lesson.

The draft day gamble that gave Michael Jordan his perfect running mate

Before the dynasty, before the parades, and long before the statues, there was a problem: the Bulls just weren’t winning. In 1987, Michael Jordan was already putting up historic numbers, averaging over 37 points a game. But despite his dominance, Chicago got swept out of the playoffs. Again. The talent around him wasn’t enough, and that was obvious to everyone watching. So the real question was: how long could one man carry the weight of an entire franchise?

That’s when Jerry Krause stepped in with a vision not everyone understood. While others saw Jordan as the star, Krause was hunting for the perfect sidekick. He found that in a lanky forward from Central Arkansas named Scottie Pippen. “Love at first sight,” Krause wrote in his unpublished memoir. He called Pippen the “quickest, longest-armed, most tremendous lateral quickness combination in the game.” Pippen later shattered a training drill record that stood for 11 years.

Still, getting Pippen wasn’t straightforward. The Bulls had the eighth pick. Seattle had the fifth. That’s where the magic happened behind the curtain. Chicago gave up Olden Polynice, a second-round pick, and future swap rights to land Pippen. The move didn’t make major headlines at the time. But looking back? It was one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. Polynice had a solid career, but never came close to the level Pippen reached.

Pippen didn’t just complement Jordan, he unlocked a dynasty. He averaged 17.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists with the Bulls. His defensive skill set turned Chicago into a two-way terror. He made 10 All-Defensive Teams and helped carry the Bulls to six NBA championships. Jordan had never won a playoff series before Scottie arrived. Together, they never looked back.

Even though Krause has been criticized in recent years, especially after The Last Dance, this trade remains his crown jewel. He saw what no one else did. And without that move, Jordan might’ve stayed a one-man show. Instead, we got a dynasty.