Chapter 1 1988-1989_3

The Trail Blazers pinned their hopes on Sabonis and Petrović, whom they had drafted in the 1987 NBA Draft.

Larry Fleisher personally went to Europe to negotiate with the clubs of both players, but due to economic and political reasons, they still couldn't come to America to play for the Trail Blazers in the 1988-1989 season.

In the trade market, no team was willing to make a deal with the Trail Blazers, as everyone was afraid of the emergence of a new Boston Celtics.

Buckwalter wanted to get Charles Oakley from the Bulls, but Jerry Krause traded him to New York for Cartwright instead.

The Trail Blazers tried to acquire Vernon Maxwell from the Denver Nuggets using their draft pick, but the Nuggets preferred to send him to the Spurs, settling for a second-round pick.

The Trail Blazers used their own draft pick to select Mark Bryant, and they had previously given their second-round pick to the Spurs—to sign Gilmore.