Chicago Spent Three Draft Assets to Add Dennis Hopson
On June 26, 1990, Chicago acquired Dennis Hopson from New Jersey in exchange for the Bulls’ 1990 first-round pick and second-round choices in 1991 and 1992. The first became No. 22 Tate George, the 1991 second became No. 53 Von McDade, and the most favorable of Chicago’s 1992 seconds became No. 29 P.J. Brown. A contemporaneous UPI dispatch reports the Bulls seeking another scoring wing alongside Michael Jordan, with general manager Jerry Krause praising Hopson’s two-position versatility. New Jersey was moving its leading scorer from 1989-90 in exchange for draft flexibility rather than another established veteran.
Hopson Never Recreated His New Jersey Scoring Role in Chicago
Hopson had averaged 15.8 points in 79 Nets games in 1989-90, starting 64. For the 1990-91 Bulls he instead came off the bench in all 61 appearances, averaged 11.9 minutes and scored 4.3 points per game. He saw action in only two Chicago regular-season games in 1991-92 before moving to Sacramento. The Bulls won the 1991 NBA title, but Hopson’s reserve minutes must be separated from the major contributions of Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the core rotation. The C- grade reflects that reduced role and the costly three-selection package, not an assertion that Chicago received no minutes.
P.J. Brown Turned the Last Pick Into an Especially Valuable Asset
New Jersey used the 1990 first on Tate George and the 1991 second on Von McDade. The most consequential selection, however, was P.J. Brown at No. 29 in 1992. Brown did not enter the NBA until 1993-94 after playing overseas, so he was not an instant draft-night contributor. His eventual Nets tenure supplied meaningful frontcourt defense and rebounding, and he later built a lengthy NBA career elsewhere. The Nets’ A- grade is grounded in securing several genuine prospects, including Brown, while Chicago’s Hopson gamble delivered only brief bench scoring. The trade is better evaluated as a draft-capital decision than as a head-to-head comparison of former scorers.
Final Verdict
Nets Win. New Jersey receives A- after exchanging Dennis Hopson for three picks that yielded Tate George, Von McDade and especially P.J. Brown. Chicago earns C- for Hopson’s 61-game reserve season plus two games the next year. New Jersey captured far greater long-term asset value.