“It was addition by subtraction” Gregg Popovich says Dennis Rodman had to go if the Spurs wanted to become champions originally appeared on Basketball Network.
In 1995, Dennis Rodman was already a two-time champion and had just led the NBA in rebounding for four consecutive seasons. Still, despite what The Worm brought to the San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich decided he was more trouble than he was worth.
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“It was addition by subtraction just to have him out of town,” said Popovich after trading Rodman to the Chicago Bulls for Will Perdue. “We wouldn’t have had a chance to win a championship, in my opinion, with him in the mix for a myriad of reasons. And if you can get somebody back who can make a valuable contribution to your team, so much the better.”
Perdue was not the same defensive and rebounding talent as Rodman was. Still, Pop was ready to trade talent for stability. Will, after all, had been part of Chicago’s first three-peat from 1991 to 1993.
Why Rodman drew Pop’s ire
Popovich said some nice things about Perdue, but it was more out of spite for Rodman than anything else. Will was a veteran who could back up David Robinson and theoretically allow The Admiral to slide to the power forward spot. Nevertheless, Perdue never averaged double-digits nor played over 20 minutes per game at any point in his Bulls’ tenure.
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However, Will had plenty going for him just because he wasn’t anything like the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. He had no track record of skipping practices, missing the team bus, or engaging in other shenanigans. More importantly, Perdue was not the type to ask for a $3.5 million raise out of the blue.
“(Rodman) said he wasn’t coming to camp unless we gave him more money,” Popovich said, “and after a while, you’ve got to believe the guy. I would have to have been a blithering idiot to give him more money or even talk to him about it.”
The original Bad Boy never directly addressed Popovich’s claims. Instead, he flipped the script, accusing Pop of being bitter simply because Rodman wouldn’t play the “yes man” role he wanted.
Whatever the case, some personalities just couldn’t co-exist, and Popovich and Rodman may have been one of those mismatches.
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Dennis’s success in the Windy City
With the change of coaching leadership in San Antonio, Rodman’s quirkiness did not fit well with the Spurs’ culture. However, the trade to the Windy City was probably the best thing that happened to Dennis’ career.
While Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan were initially hesitant to team up with Rodman, given their rocky history, it quickly became clear he was exactly what the Bulls had been missing. Chicago lacked a true power forward since Horace Grant’s departure, and “Dennis the Menace” filled that void with even more edge.
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It worked in Chicago because of Phil Jackson’s unique ability to manage eccentric players like Rodman. The Zen Master didn’t try to change him; Phil simply gave him room to be himself as long as Dennis delivered when it mattered.
That mutual understanding worked. Rodman played his role to perfection, dominating the glass and anchoring Chicago’s defense without derailing team chemistry. Under Jackson’s guidance and MJ’s intense on-court leadership, Rodman extended his rebounding reign to seven more seasons, not to mention three more rings.
Looking back, Popovich’s decision may have been justified for the culture he was trying to build. On the other hand, it’s clear Rodman still had a lot left in the tank, just not for San Antonio. What didn’t work under Pop flourished under Phil, proving that even the most volatile personalities can thrive in the right environment.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.