The Chicago Bulls late Monday night traded 7-foot reserve forward Brad Sellers to Seattle for the SuperSonics' 18th pick in the first round of Tuesday's NBA draft, giving the Bulls three No. 1 picks.
The move, which came some 15 hours before the trading deadline, set up the possibility that Jerry Krause, Chicago's vice president of operations, can package the team's picks and move up in the draft. The Bulls already had the No. 6 and No. 20 picks."We feel that the 18th pick in the first round will give us some options that will strengthen our team," Krause said.
The Bulls are looking to shore up their offensive strength around three-time NBA scoring leader Michael Jordan. One of their needs in Tuesday's draft is a power forward to back up second-year Clemson grad Horace Grant. The other is a point guard, because the Bulls lost Sam Vincent in this year's expansion draft and Jordan has made it clear he would rather play the off-guard position.
Sellers, the Bulls's first-round draft choice (ninth overall) in 1986, has averaged just 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds during his three-year career (6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 1988-89).
He was rumored to be on the trading block much of last season after he lost his starting position to second-year small forward Scottie Pippen.