New York Knicks received Gerald Henderson (Sr.); Sonics' option to swap 1987 first round picks (Bucks or Sonics pick) with Knicks (#18-Mark Jackson). Seattle Supersonics received Sonics' option to swap 1987 first round picks (Bucks or Sonics pick) with Knicks (1987 #5-Scottie Pippen); 1990 second round pick (#44-Steve Henson). New York received useful value, but the other team finished with the better overall return.
The Knicks sent Seattle a 1987 first-round pick and a 1990 second on November 12, 1986 for Gerald Henderson and Seattle’s 1987 first. Henderson immediately played 68 games with 53 starts for New York, averaging 10.9 points and 6.5 assists. More importantly, the incoming first became No. 18 and Mark Jackson, who won Rookie of the Year, made an All-Star team and became the Knicks’ long-term starting point guard.
The Knicks’ outgoing first landed at No. 5, where Seattle selected Scottie Pippen. The SuperSonics did not keep Pippen, so his Bulls career does not belong in Seattle’s grade. Seattle traded his rights and its own 1989 first to Chicago for Olden Polynice, a 1988 second and another 1989 first. Polynice then played 289 regular-season games for Seattle across four seasons before being moved again.
The 1990 second-round pick from New York did not stay with Seattle until draft night. The SuperSonics traded that pick to Milwaukee in 1988 for Jerry Reynolds, who was later lost in the 1989 expansion draft. Seattle also continued converting the Chicago return in later transactions. New York’s Mark Jackson branch was excellent, but Seattle extracted several distinct pieces from the higher first-round position rather than merely benefiting from Pippen’s later fame.
Seattle SuperSonics Win — Seattle A-, New York B-. New York clearly received real value: Henderson started immediately, and Mark Jackson became Rookie of the Year and an All-Star. Seattle still earns the higher grade because the No. 5 pick was converted into Olden Polynice plus additional draft assets, while the extra second was also turned into a roster player. The verdict does not credit Seattle for Pippen’s Bulls career; it credits the asset chain Seattle actually received.