New Jersey Paid Three Draft Choices for Orlando Woolridge
New Jersey signed Orlando Woolridge on October 2, 1986, after arranging compensation for Chicago not to exercise its right of first refusal. The Nets sent a 1989 first-round selection and second-round choices in 1988 and 1989. These eventually became the No. 6 pick in 1989, used by Chicago on Stacey King, and the choices associated with Shelton Jones and Stanley Brundy. The historical Nets media guide and both clubs transaction registers agree on the terms. The deal is a free-agency rights resolution rather than a direct playing-contract trade, an important distinction when tracing what the Bulls acquired.
Woolridge Supplied the Nets With Genuine Scoring
New Jersey received a productive player, not merely name recognition. Woolridge appeared in 75 games during 1986-87, starting 53 and averaging 20.7 points and 4.9 rebounds. He ranked among the Nets main offensive options while the team struggled in the standings. That volume was useful in the short term, although a single scorer could not restore the franchise on his own. New Jersey later moved through roster changes, and Woolridge did not become a long-running foundation there. The Nets C+ reflects the verified first-year scoring and the price of surrendering three future draft assets for a comparatively short return.
Chicago Turned the First-Rounder Into a Championship Reserve
Chicago used the 1989 first-round pick at No. 6 on Oklahoma big man Stacey King. He played all 82 regular-season games as a rookie, averaging 8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds, and appeared in each of the Bulls three consecutive title seasons from 1991 through 1993. King was a reserve, not the primary source of those championships; Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen drove the team. Still, King provided directly traceable rotation value from the Nets choice, while the two seconds supplied additional potential. The Bulls B- grade acknowledges the multi-asset return without attributing the later output of unrelated players or trades to the original compensation.
Final Verdict
Slight Bulls Edge. Chicago earns B- for a 1989 first-round pick used on three-time champion Stacey King plus two future seconds. New Jersey receives C+ after acquiring Orlando Woolridge and getting 20.7 points per game in his first Nets season. The draft assets provided a longer-lived return.