Chicago benched Curry in March 2005 after he experienced an irregular heartbeat. Fearing that Curry might have a potentially fatal heart condition, Paxson worked all summer to trade him. He ultimately dealt Curry and Antonio Davis to the Knicks, in exchange for forwards Mike Sweetney and Tim Thomas, the first-round pick and two second-round picks.
Asked by Dan Patrick, the ESPN anchor who emceed the lottery, whether he would trade the pick to get Curry back, Paxson said, "We're happy to be here, so I'm not touching that one."
The Knicks have been criticized for not placing conditions on, or "protecting," the first-round pick in case it ended up high in the draft. Teams rarely trade first-round picks without some sort of lottery protection.
But Paxson confirmed what the Knicks have been quietly saying -- that the Bulls would not accept any conditions.
"It would have been a deal-breaker," Paxson said.
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