Jordan longed to work with his former North Carolina teammate, but the Bulls didn't have enough cap space.
Ultimately, Sam Perkins was snagged by the Los Angeles Lakers with a first-year salary reaching $1.97 million, a figure the Bulls simply couldn't afford.
Moreover, Perkins, being strong on offense but weak on defense and somewhat lackadaisical in style, overlapped with Horace Grant's position and wasn't a good reinforcement choice. The Lakers indeed suited him better.
Jerry Krause then thought again and had Bulls' power forward Buck Williams in mind.
During the 1989 offseason, there were rumors that the Nets were looking to trade away Buck Williams, and at that time, Jordan wished that Jerry Krause would find a way to get Williams, even at the expense of Horace Grant.
In the end, because Jerry Krause valued Grant's potential more, and he was unwilling to give up a first-round draft pick, the deal fell through.
