3 trades Jerry Krause made with the Houston Rockets

1. Rockets send Roy Rogers, 2nd-round pick for Scottie Pippen

Perhaps the most well-known trade the Rockets made with Krause was the deal that brought Scottie Pippen to Houston in 1998. Rumors were swirling that Krause had been actively shopping Pippen prior to the 1997-98 season, and the Bulls’ championship that season didn’t change Krause’s mind, as he was determined to rebuild.

The Rockets nearly landed Pippen before the Bulls’ final title run, but Michael Jordan ultimately intervened and nixed the deal. It was only natural for the Rockets to pursue the Central Arkansas product in the offseason, and they were successful this time around, as MJ had already retired.

Pippen had been vastly underpaid in Chicago and the Rockets changed that, as they gave him a five-year deal worth upto $82 million. The Houston Rockets traded Roy Rogers, who they had just acquired seven months earlier from the Toronto Raptors, and their second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft to complete the deal.

It was believed that Pippen would improve the Rockets’ title chances, but that didn’t happen, as the Houston Rockets were eliminated within the first round of the playoffs during that season. Pippen’s season was marred with controversy, as the 6-foot-8 forward had a public feud with Rockets’ forward Charles Barkley and forced his way out of the Space City.

Pippen was later dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason, but helped the Rockets land Tracy McGrady down the road, as Kelvin Cato was a part of the T-Mac trade, and was dealt to the Rockets from Portland in the Pippen deal.