The documentary has highlighted Krause's role in building the Bulls into a championship team around superstar Michael Jordan, then dismantling the dynasty as ego interfered. Despite the Bulls' success, Krause wasn't a popular figure with the team. Notably, his relationships with coach Phil Jackson and star Scottie Pippen soured.
On the day of the 1994 NBA Draft, Krause was hard at work in an attempt to trade Pippen to the Supersonics. The Bulls would've received All-Star big man Shawn Kemp and the No. 11 overall pick in that draft as part of the exchange, according to reports.
The trade negotiations leaked publicly, and the Sonics fan base expressed its disapproval about trading the popular Kemp. The trade fell through when Sonics owner Barry Ackerly caved to the pressure and nixed the deal on coach George Karl, who was serving as the acting Sonics general manager and was in favor of the swap.
"He was very committed to making the deal," Karl said of Krause on the Mully & Haugh Show on Thursday. "I went to my owner on the weekend of the draft and talked to him about the trade, and the trade could not be consummated unless the player he wanted was going to be there, and I didn't know who that player was at the time.
"The agreement was that we would do the deal, that we would try to make the deal happen. But somehow, along the way, I've heard some radio guy got in and leaked it, and it got onto the Seattle radio stations and Seattle streets. And the city of Seattle went crazy in favor of keeping Shawn Kemp.
"It got magnified to a point where I called Jerry back and said, 'Hey, my owner is out. My owner doesn't want to make the trade. He's decided he wants to keep Shawn. And, we're done.'"
Krause, who passed away in 2017, was stunned about what he was hearing from Karl, believing it was a negotiating tactic. Krause pressed on nonetheless. He and the Bulls came back with more money in the exchange and even a better deal, all with the hopes of trading Pippen away.
The belief is that Krause hoped to select Michigan guard Jalen Rose with the No. 11 pick from Seattle.
"The owner had said he didn't want to trade Shawn," Karl said. "That was the last thing I heard from him. But Jerry kept trying, all the way up until about five minutes before the 11th pick in the draft.
"I kept saying, 'Jerry, it's still no. We're not doing it.'"
The Sonics selected center Carlos Rogers at No. 11 but traded him to the Warriors as part of a draft night deal. Pippen remained with the Bulls for another four seasons after that, serving as a key part of three more championships in Chicago.
In 1996, Pippen and the Bulls beat the Sonics in the NBA Finals.