Charles Barkley Shortlisted The 1996 Chicago Bulls As His Desired Trade Destination

Charles Barkley wanted to join the 1996 Chicago Bulls to compete for a championship.

Charles Barkley has been very critical of stars teaming up with others to have an easier path to the NBA championship, especially Kevin Durant. Last season, while the Golden State Warriors won the title and the Brooklyn Nets became one of the biggest disappointments in the league, he took some shots at KD for failing to succeed in Brooklyn. 

Chuck himself was a part of the Houston Rockets superteam that struggled to even compete in the playoffs. That was a complete nightmare for everybody involved, as those Rockets went down as one of the worst superteams ever assembled. 

But, before that, Barkley wanted to team up with other legends to compete for that elusive championship. Unfortunately, at that time, the team didn't have many assets to trade for the 1993 NBA MVP. 

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Charles Barkley Shortlisted The 1996 Chicago Bulls As His Desired Trade Destination

In 1996, Chuck wanted out of the Phoenix Suns (like Kevin Durant this past summer), and he shortlisted three teams to continue his career. The New York Knicks and Houston Rockets appeared to be favorites to land Barkley, but he also had his sights on a different team: the Chicago Bulls. 

Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune reported that Chuck had these three teams on his list, but only one of them had real chances to acquire the power forward's services that summer. 

Barkley has named the Bulls, Knicks and Rockets as teams he'd play for. The Bulls' problem is they have little other than Toni Kukoc for the Suns to accept. The Knicks appear to have the best shot with three first-round picks this season and a willingness to deal John Starks and Anthony Mason, or Charles Oakley.

Smith claimed that it was a dream for Chuck to go to Chicago and join forces with the incredible trio of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen (whom he played with on the 1992 Dream Team) and Dennis Rodman. 

He has a dream.

Being traded to the Bulls.

"That would be the ultimate," says Phoenix Suns star Charles Barkley, headed for his second Dream Team appearance this summer.

Where he'll be next fall is the question.

"I would trade money for the right to win a championship," says Barkley, whose Suns were eliminated by San Antonio in the opening round of the playoffs and seem ripe for a rebuilding. "I'd like to have a shot. We didn't have that this year. I can honestly say this season was terrible. It was a mediocre team. It was no fun.

"If they want to trade me to a team that has a chance, I'll go. If they want to trade me just anywhere, I'll sit home and play golf and see if NBC can use me."

The Bulls had traded for Dennis Rodman ahead of the 1995-96 season and went to record the then-best season in NBA history, winning 72 games, losing only 10, and going all the way to win the NBA championship. If they managed to land Barkley, perhaps that team would have broken the record the following year. 

Instead, Chuck went to the Houston Rockets, where he first teamed up with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, and then with Scottie Pippen. He was really keen to win that championship and he knew the Bulls were the best chance to do so. Unfortunately, that trade never came to fruition and Chuck had to settle with the Houston Rockets while the Bulls went on to win two more championships. 

He had the chance to team up with Michael Jordan on the Washington Wizards in 2001, but MJ was quick to shut that down. 

Credit for this idea: r/nowhathappenedwas