With everybody discussing “The Last Dance” documentary that highlights Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the second part has everybody buzzing is that the Bulls severely underpaid Scottie Pippen. He signed an extension in 1991 that was for seven years and $18 million and when he asked to restructure, general manager Jerry Krause said they couldn’t.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris is represented by his father, Torrel Harris, and Unique Sports Management. Since the subject is a hot topic, the elder Harris wanted to provide some clarity on the deal for Pippen.
Harris, who was a certified agent at that time, wrote about it for HoopsHype as he said:
First of all, the Bulls could’ve restructured Pippen’s deal. In today’s NBA, teams typically can’t restructure a player’s contract; the only exception is if the player is extended and the team has cap space. But back in the 1990s, the Bulls could have ripped up Pippen’s contract and given him a new deal as long as they were under the cap. Considering how big of a role he played in Chicago’s dynasty, you’d think the Bulls would have done this. Back then, teams ripped up contracts all the time, so it blows my mind that the Bulls refused to give in.
Scottie was one of the best players in the NBA and he was absolutely underpaid, so they should have recognized his value and restructured his deal. I definitely understand why Scottie was upset.
Pippen was criminally underpaid as he was a 7-time All-Star with the Bulls and he averaged 17.7 points and 6.7 rebounds while also being named one of the top 50 players in the history of the game. He was able to make up for the lack of money with big contracts from the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers, but how the Bulls handled that situation was downright awful. [lawrence-related id=29912,29902,29893]