ESPN's documentary series The Last Dance details why the Chicago Bulls front office thought breaking up Michael Jordan's team was a good thing. The Bulls were the most dominant team in the NBA during the 1990s, winning six championships in eight seasons. However, after securing their fifth title in 1997, uncertainty clouded the organization's future. Bulls management had conflicting viewpoints concerning the team's future. Some felt it was best to keep the current roster intact and make another championship run (which is what happened), while others wanted to rebuild and part ways with established veterans.
At the center of this drama was general manager Jerry Krause, who took the Chicago job in 1985 (Jordan's second season in the league) and presided over the Bulls dynasty. He won the NBA's Executive of the Year award twice during his tenure there. Given the incredible amount of success the Bulls had in the '90s, it may seem crazy Krause was interested in splitting the team up, but Krause had his reasons - and some of them may not have been so farfetched.
The Last Dance posits Krause felt he didn't get enough credit for assembling the Bulls teams and became envious of the praise Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and head coach Phil Jackson received. That led to tenuous relationships (Jordan and Pippen used to belittle Krause at practice and on the team bus), so there's no denying Krause's desire to rebuild was somewhat personally motivated. He wanted to prove he could do it on his own without Jordan, Pippen, and Jackson, meaning he had no qualms about pushing them out. Krause's jealously may have clouded his judgment, but an argument can be made rebuilding at that time wasn't so outlandish.
One of the responsibilities of a general manager is to put their team in a position to win in the present day, while also remaining competitive longterm. Organizations like the New York Yankees, New England Patriots, and San Antonio Spurs have followed that approach for decades, winning multiple championships in the process. During the Last Dance season, the Bulls were the NBA's best team, though they were also an older one. Jordan was 34 years old, Pippen was 32, and star forward Dennis Rodman was 36. Chicago had constructed a roster to win now, but a rebuild was inevitable due to the age of the team's core. Krause's line of thinking was to move on from some of the players (namely Pippen, who he tried to trade) before the 1997-98 season and try to retool for the future. But Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf blocked any Pippen trade and Jordan was adamant he would not be part of a rebuild under a new coach. Chicago brought the main group back for "the last dance," with everyone knowing going in 1997-98 would be their final season together.
Krause's attempts to rebuild the Bulls after 1998 were woefully unsuccessful, as the team missed the playoffs six straight seasons. However, he most definitely didn't get to execute his original plan for the rebuild. Krause eventually traded Pippen, but for a mediocre player (Roy Rogers) who never played a game for the Bulls, and a second round draft pick. If Krause was able to trade Pippen prior to The Last Dance, he may have gotten more value in either talented young players or first round picks (instead of having virtually no leverage). Of course, there's no guarantee things would have gone differently, though it's interesting to consider. On-paper, splitting up a team in the midst of a three-peat with the game's greatest player is crazy, and most Bulls fans certainly aren't going to complain about the sixth banner Jordan and company delivered. Still, Krause's mindset was understandable from a certain point of view and there are actual reasons (outside of personal grudges) why he wanted to go this way when he did.
The Last Dance airs Sunday nights on ESPN.
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