After reaching the Conference Finals in 1987, the Seattle SuperSonics were riding high on confidence and believed they were just a step away from an NBA championship. That belief, however, led to a decision they would come to regret deeply — trading Scottie Pippen to the Chicago Bulls . At the time, the franchise failed to recognize the true potential of the young forward out of the relatively obscure University of Central Arkansas.
Ironically, the very player they let go would eventually stand in their way of winning it all. Years later, Gary Payton candidly admitted that had 'Pip' stayed in Seattle, a trio of him, Shawn Kemp and Scottie could have brought multiple championships to the city.
During the 1987-88 campaign, Seattle boasted a high-scoring trio of Dale Ellis , Xavier McDaniel, and Tom Chambers, averaging over 20 points per game. Offensively, they ranked seventh in the league, but defensively, they struggled, finishing a mediocre 16th.
That vulnerability was exposed in the first round of the 1988 playoffs against the high-octane Denver Nuggets . Despite strong offensive outputs, the SuperSonics surrendered 125 or more points in two of their three losses.
Denver's up-tempo style overwhelmed them, and it's precisely the kind of situation where Pippen's defensive presence — who averaged 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks in his rookie season — could've made a crucial difference. In fact, no Sonic player in that series matched those defensive averages apart from Derrick McKey's one block per contest.
A year later, the same defensive deficiencies haunted Seattle in the second round against the Showtime Lakers. While James Worthy and Magic Johnson controlled the tempo, with five players averaging double-digit points, Seattle couldn't keep up. Even though they had two 20-point scorers, the Sonics lacked someone who could disrupt the rhythm of LA's defense. With games decided by excruciatingly narrow margins (an average of just 2.5 points in the final two contests), Pippen's 1.9 steals per game that season might have tipped the balance.
Looking back, Dale Ellis reflected on how easier the game could have been if Scottie had been on the team. The latter's ability to contribute on both ends would've allowed the SuperSonics to avoid relying so heavily on offense to win games.
"It would have made my game a lot easier because you got one more guy on the floor you had to pay attention to offensively," the former one-time All-Star said . "It was unfortunate I didn't play with the team that some players didn't command the double-team."
This notion gains more traction considering how the Bulls' rise paralleled Pippen's development at the same time. After three straight first-round exits, Chicago reached the second round in his rookie year and never looked back.
Furthermore, Ellis wasn't alone in this hindsight. "The Glove" echoed similar sentiments. He argued that Pippen's absence from Chicago would've made Michael Jordan's championship path more difficult and, more importantly, emphasized how combining Pippen's lockdown defense with Kemp's paint dominance would have created a two-way monster in Seattle. Consequently, according to GP, such a pairing would've made it nearly impossible for opponents to find offensive comfort.
"Michael Jordan would have had problems; you know what I am saying. Shawn would have come in 1989, two years later, I would have come three years later, in 1990. That would have been a great crew," Payton said. "I think Scottie would have put up another dynamic team together with us, and we would have been cool."
Take the 1991-92 season, for example. SuperSonics posted the ninth-best offensive rating behind Kemp's 15.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, but Payton was still developing as a lethal scorer, averaging just 9.4 points.
Pippen had already blossomed into a First-Team All-NBA and All-Defensive star, averaging 21 points, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Had he been on the Sonics roster, his presence might have changed the outcome of their second-round loss to the Utah Jazz , especially with three losses coming by an average of just 6.6 points.
Even in 1993, when the Sonics lost the Western Conference Finals to the Phoenix Suns , they had no answer for Charles Barkley. The MVP dominated the glass, posted game-high rebounds in every Phoenix win, and capped it with a series-deciding 44-point and 24-rebound double-double.
Payton later admitted that if he had a versatile defensive partner like the six-time NBA champion, no scorer — even someone like "Sir Charles" — could have imposed his will so freely.
"We would've won a couple of championships, I think, because Scottie would have turned it around for us a little bit , " Payton added. "We would've been that guy who could guard the big guard, and I can guard the little guard; we could switch everything. It would've been a big difference had he stayed. I would've loved to play with him."
In hindsight, it seems almost poetic how the very player both Payton and Ellis wanted on their team ended up being the one who stopped them from winning it all in 1996.
