"When Krause pulled the trigger on that trade, that was probably one of the defining things in his career" - John Paxson explained the move that finally made the Bulls relevant originally appeared on Basketball Network .
After Michael Jordan 's rookie season, the Chicago Bulls were still stuck in mediocrity. That allowed them, in 1985, to swap draft picks and select Charles Oakley , a man who in the coming years would become one of the toughest faces in the league.
We're talking about a guy who, in his sophomore season, played an incredible 43 minutes per game in the playoffs, averaging 20.0 points and 15.3 rebounds. Oakley was exactly what the Bulls lacked in those years, an unbelievable athletic beast and someone in whom Jordan found both a friend and a protector. The story is well known of how Jordan used to get beaten up on almost every drive to the basket early in his career due to his slender build, especially by the Detroit Pistons and Oakley was always there to have his back.
Even though his career started off great in Chicago and he and Jordan formed an excellent duo both on and off the court, Jerry Krause , a visionary but also a controversial figure, pulled off a trade that shocked the league at the time. In 1988, he traded the young and rising Oakley to the New York Knicks for 30-year-old veteran Bill Cartwright . Former Bulls point guard John Paxson addressed the situation in the second episode of The Last Dance.
"Jerry Krause was responsible for putting together a team that worked," Paxson said . "I'm sure the hardest thing was trading Oakley to New York for Cartwright. We needed a big man. Bill fit in great. As much as I loved Charles, at that time Bill fit us better. Michael loved Charles because Charles was his protector. When Krause pulled the trigger on that trade, that was probably one of the defining things in his career."
Although Jordan initially disagreed with Krause, he ultimately admitted it was a good move for the team, yet another confirmation of the remarkable vision of one of the best GMs in league history.
As for Cartwright, after a phenomenal rookie season in which he averaged 21.7 points and 8.9 rebounds with 54.7 percent shooting from the field, his production declined over the years, although he remained at a solid level. What bothered Jordan at first was the fact that Krause brought in a veteran for an up-and-coming star in the form of Oakley. Jordan's frustration went so far that he intentionally threw bad passes in practice to get rid of Cartwright .
"When the Bulls let Charles Oakley go and brought in Bill Cartwright, Jordan resented the loss of his friend and took it out on Cartwright, calling him 'Medical Bill' and intentionally throwing impossible-to-handle passes at him in practice to draw attention to what he perceived to be his bad hands," the report said.
But Cartwright, already an experienced player in the league, didn't take it lying down. Jordan's bullying tactics toward Cartwright extended into real games. According to Sam Smith, Jordan ordered the rest of the Bulls not to pass the ball to the center in late-game situations. Word got back to Cartwright, and instead of turning the other cheek, the big man confronted Jordan, warning him that if he ever heard him tell teammates not to pass to him again, Jordan would never play basketball again.
The rest is history, as Cartwright became the starting center for the Bulls team that won its first three-peat in the early '90s. Even though he was already in the later stages of his career and far from his best numbers, it was his experience that brought calm to a still-young team on the court.
As for Krause, this was one of his first key moves in building the team that would go on to win six titles. Later, with a visionary eye, he brought Toni Kukoc over from Europe, acquired Dennis Rodman via trade and spotted Scottie Pippen in the draft. But when it comes to Oakley, you can only imagine how much courage it took to trade away Jordan's friend, a guy who was also putting up strong performances on the court. As Paxson said, it was a trade that defined both Krause and the Bulls.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
