Trade Verdicts
NBA Trade Verdict

Blazers Win

Chicago received Steve Colter for rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts), but the other team generated modestly stronger realized value.

June 17, 1986 Chicago Bulls / Portland Trail Blazers Record confidence: Medium

Chicago Bulls Received

Portland Trail Blazers Received

  • Draft Rights rights to Larry Krystkowiak
  • Draft Pick 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland)
  • Draft Pick 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts)

Chicago Bulls

C+

Portland Trail Blazers

A-

Trade Analysis

What the Trade Actually Moved

This June 17, 1986 transaction between Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers is best read from the complete exchange rather than from one familiar name. Chicago received Steve Colter for rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts), but the partner generated modestly stronger realized value. The trade included 4 pieces: Steve Colter, rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts). That matters because players, draft rights, picks, cash, and transaction mechanisms can serve very different purposes even when they appear in the same deal. The retrospective question is therefore not which side received the longer list. It is which package produced the stronger basketball or asset value that the record can actually trace.

Why the Verdict Lands Here

The verdict is Blazers Win, with Portland Trail Blazers graded A- and Chicago Bulls graded C+. The realized-value outcome gives the partner a modest edge. Chicago received Steve Colter, but rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts) produced somewhat more durable player or draft value. That existing evaluation provides the spine of the grade rather than a new theory layered on top of it. The separation comes from comparing what each side actually received: Portland Trail Blazers took in rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts), while Chicago Bulls took in Steve Colter. Timing, roster fit, salary structure, and front-office intent can explain why a deal was made, but the final grade follows the durable value that emerged from the exchange.

The Winning Side: Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers' side of the trade centered on rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts). The transaction paired Portland’s rights to Larry Krystkowiak and additional draft assets with Chicago Bulls’s Steve Colter. The Blazers received the package with the clearest lasting value after every major asset was resolved. The long-term comparison of the core assets produces a clear Portland win. Read together with the list of assets, that perspective supports the A- grade without requiring every incoming piece to become a major success. A winning trade can be driven by one high-impact player, a converted draft asset, several useful contributors, or a combination of basketball value and flexibility. Here, the stronger package is the one that better converted the return into value tied directly to this transaction, which is why Portland Trail Blazers sits on the favorable side of Blazers Win.

What Chicago Bulls Still Received

Chicago Bulls received Steve Colter. The realized-value outcome gives the partner a modest edge. Chicago received Steve Colter, but rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts) produced somewhat more durable player or draft value. The C+ grade does not mean that the losing side received nothing or acted without a plausible objective. It records the gap between that return and the value created by Portland Trail Blazers' package. The distinction is useful in historical grading: a team can gain a rotation player, financial relief, a pick, or a short-term fit and still lose the broader exchange if the other side captures substantially more production, longevity, or asset conversion.

Final Verdict

Blazers Win. The grades are Portland Trail Blazers A- and Chicago Bulls C+. The decision rests on the package and the value it produced: Portland Trail Blazers' return was led by rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts), while Chicago Bulls' side was built around Steve Colter. The grade does not retroactively judge every front-office motive; it judges the completed exchange. On that basis, the stronger realized return belongs to Portland Trail Blazers, and the distance between the two grades reflects how clearly the transaction's most meaningful value finished on that side.

For Hardcore NBA Heads

Chicago Bulls–Portland Trail Blazers: What the Trade Became

The deeper story of the June 17, 1986 deal is how a transaction that can look compact on a ledger produced a lasting separation in value. The four locked transaction sources establish the exchange from both franchise histories, while the canonical analysis explains why the result is graded Portland Trail Blazers A- and Chicago Bulls C+. The useful historical exercise is to follow the assets after the agreement without drifting into unrelated later transactions. That keeps the focus on what this deal itself delivered: Steve Colter, rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts).

The Asset That Defined the Trade

The center of the winning return was rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts). The realized-value outcome gives the partner a modest edge. Chicago received Steve Colter, but rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts) produced somewhat more durable player or draft value. Those details matter more than simple asset count because trade value is rarely distributed evenly across every line item. A single starter, premium draft conversion, or high-leverage piece can outweigh several smaller considerations. In this case, the trade identifies the outcome that created the decisive gap, and the A- grade captures that advantage while remaining tied to the actual exchange documented on June 17, 1986.

What the Secondary Pieces Added

The secondary pieces still matter because they define what each front office paid to reach its objective. Portland Trail Blazers received rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts), while Chicago Bulls received Steve Colter. When a package includes cash, draft rights, protected picks, exceptions, or lower-usage players, those items are treated as supporting value rather than automatically equated with a proven contributor. The record weighs what they became, what role they served, and whether they materially narrowed the gap created by the leading assets. Here, they did not overturn the direction of the verdict.

Why Context Does Not Erase Outcome

Both sides can have understandable trade-day logic without producing equal outcomes. On June 17, 1986, Portland acquired rights to Larry Krystkowiak; 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland); 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts) from Chicago Bulls in exchange for Steve Colter. Chicago received Steve Colter for rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts), but the partner generated modestly stronger realized value. Those team descriptions help preserve the original shape of the bargain: one franchise was acquiring rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts), while the other was taking back Steve Colter. Historical grading separates rationale from result. Salary needs, roster balance, timing, and opportunity cost belong in the context, but they do not erase the later evidence when one return produces more useful or more durable value.

How the Grades Fit the Record

The grade spread—Portland Trail Blazers A-, Chicago Bulls C+—is consistent with the trade details rather than with a generic winner/loser label. Portland Trail Blazers' side is credited for the value attached to rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts); Chicago Bulls' side is credited for Steve Colter and any legitimate purpose those assets served. The final margin reflects the difference between those outcomes. That is especially important for trades involving multiple asset types, because a pick, player, cash payment, or contractual mechanism should be judged by its documented consequence instead of by the fact that it occupied a line in the package.

Deep-Dive Verdict

Blazers Win. The grades support the same conclusion: Portland Trail Blazers A-, Chicago Bulls C+. Public sources confirm what changed hands, and the two analyses show how each team viewed the package. The deciding evidence is the realized value described in the analysis, not the number of components or the reputation of a single name in isolation. Portland Trail Blazers' return, centered on rights to Larry Krystkowiak, 1987 second round pick (#40-Winston Garland), and 1992 second round pick (#54-Brett Roberts), finished ahead of the value Chicago Bulls obtained from Steve Colter. That makes the verdict durable as a historical judgment while still leaving room to recognize any useful pieces or defensible objectives on the losing side.

Research sources (4)