1967 NBA Trades

Denver traded Willis Thomas to Anaheim for Jeff Congdon on December 11, 1967. Congdon gave the Rockets 41 games after the trade, then stayed for 59 games in 1968-69 and all 83 games in 1969-70. His role grew substantially in that third Denver season, when he averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 assists in 29.7 minutes. Thomas played 38 games for Anaheim at 6.9 points in 13.8 minutes, and that was his final professional season. Denver therefore received 183 regular-season games and multiple years of backcourt depth from Congdon against one partial season from Thomas.

New Jersey traded Art Heyman to Pittsburgh for Barry Leibowitz on December 2, 1967, correcting the legacy November 29 date and spelling. Heyman became a major contributor to the ABA champion Pipers, playing 54 regular-season games at 20.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists plus 15 playoff games at 18.9 points. Leibowitz played 24 New Jersey games at 11.4 points before the Americans traded him to Oakland for Levern Tart. Tart then gave the Americans franchise 31 games at 19.0 points in 1967-68 and 35 more games the next season. Pittsburgh gets the edge, but New Jersey preserved substantial downstream value.

New Jersey traded Jim Caldwell to Kentucky for Stew Johnson on November 30, 1967. Caldwell became the more durable return, playing 58 games for the Colonels in 1967-68 at 8.4 points and 9.4 rebounds, then another 65 games in 1968-69. He also appeared in 12 playoff games across those two seasons. Johnson gave the Americans 55 games at 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds, stayed for nine games after the franchise became the New York Nets, and was claimed off waivers by Houston in November 1968. Kentucky therefore received 123 regular-season games from Caldwell against 64 franchise games from Johnson and preserved the stronger realized return.

Detroit acquired Len Chappell from Cincinnati on November 27, 1967 for a 1968 third-round pick that became Fred Foster. Basketball-Reference's league and team ledgers do not include the cash component carried by the legacy TradeVerdicts record, so that unsupported asset is removed. Chappell gave Detroit 57 games at 10.0 points and 6.1 rebounds before Milwaukee selected him in the 1968 expansion draft. Foster played 131 regular-season games for Cincinnati, including 14.8 points per game in 1969-70, and later joined Connie Dierking in the trade that brought Darrall Imhoff and a future pick to the Royals. Cincinnati realized the stronger return.

Chicago traded Guy Rodgers to Cincinnati on October 20, 1967 for Flynn Robinson, second-round picks in 1968 and 1969, and cash. Robinson gave the Bulls 91 regular-season games, averaging 16.0 points in 73 games in 1967-68 and 19.1 points in 18 more before a 1968 trade to Milwaukee. The 1969 pick became Johnny Baum, who added 65 Bulls games, while the 1968 pick became Ron Dunlap and produced no NBA games. Rodgers played 75 games for Cincinnati at 4.8 points and 4.7 assists before Milwaukee selected him in the 1968 expansion draft. Chicago realized the deeper package and preserved additional downstream value.

Denver sold Gary Keller to the Minnesota Muskies for cash on October 16, 1967. Minnesota turned the purchase into 69 regular-season games in the ABA's inaugural season, with Keller averaging 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game. He remained with the franchise after its move to Miami and added 53 games in 1968-69, bringing the realized franchise return to 122 regular-season appearances. Denver received undisclosed cash and no traceable on-court asset from the sale itself. That gives the Muskies/Floridians franchise a clear realized-value edge over the Rockets.

New Jersey acquired Bobby Lloyd from the Pittsburgh Pipers for a future draft choice on October 15, 1967 and signed him the same day. Lloyd gave the Americans 58 games as a rookie, averaging 8.1 points in 17.2 minutes, then returned for 67 games with the renamed New York Americans in 1968-69 at 9.9 points per game. That produced 125 franchise games from the acquired player. Pittsburgh received an unspecified draft choice whose year, round and realized outcome are not identified in the surviving transaction ledgers. The documented return therefore gives the Nets franchise a clear but not overwhelming edge.

Denver sold Steve Chubin to the Anaheim Amigos for cash on October 12, 1967, one day before the inaugural ABA season began. Anaheim immediately turned the purchase into one of the strongest player returns in its one-season franchise history. Chubin played 77 games for the Amigos, averaging 18.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 31.7 minutes per game. Denver received undisclosed cash and no on-court asset from the transaction itself. The completed return makes Anaheim the clear winner, even though the cash amount prevents a precise valuation of Denver's side.

Chicago acquired Reggie Harding from Detroit on October 2, 1967 for a 1968 third-round pick that became Don Dee. The Bulls, Pistons, league and Harding transaction records agree on the straight player-for-pick structure; the legacy cash component is unsupported and has been removed. Harding played 14 games for Chicago in 1967-68, averaging 4.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.8 minutes before later joining the ABA. Detroit used the pick on Dee at No. 25 overall, but Dee never played an NBA game for the Pistons and spent his only professional season in the ABA. Chicago therefore holds a modest realized-value edge.

Detroit sold Rudy LaRusso's player rights to San Francisco for cash on August 31, 1967. San Francisco converted the purchase into two outstanding seasons: LaRusso played 79 games at 21.8 points and 9.4 rebounds in 1967-68, then 75 games at 20.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 1968-69. He was an All-Star in both seasons and earned All-Defensive Second Team honors in 1968-69. Detroit received undisclosed cash. The realized-value gap makes the Warriors the clear winner.

Indiana sold Goose Ligon's rights to the Kentucky Colonels for cash on July 22, 1967. The Pacers and Colonels transaction ledgers agree on the date and structure, and Kentucky signed Ligon the next day. The Colonels turned those rights into a major early-ABA contributor: Ligon played 78 games at 16.2 points and 11.9 rebounds in 1967-68, followed with 75 games in 1968-69 and earned an ABA All-Star selection, then played all 84 games in 1969-70. Indiana received undisclosed cash, while Kentucky received three full seasons of high-level production. The realized-value gap makes this a clear Colonels win.

Baltimore sold Wayne Hightower's player rights to Detroit on January 29, 1967. The Bullets, Pistons and league transaction ledgers all agree on the date and rights-sale structure. Detroit never received an NBA game from Hightower. His player transaction record shows that he signed with the ABA's Denver Rockets on May 16, 1967, less than four months after Detroit acquired his rights. With no documented Pistons production or downstream basketball asset from the purchase, Baltimore realized the only traceable return through undisclosed cash. That supports a modest Bullets edge rather than the legacy Detroit-win framing.

The January 16, 1967 three-team trade sent Mel Counts from Baltimore to Los Angeles, Ray Scott from Detroit to Baltimore, and Rudy LaRusso plus a compensatory 1967 first-round pick from the Lakers to Detroit after LaRusso refused to report. Baltimore realized the strongest direct return: Scott played 263 Bullets games through 1969-70, including 19.0 points and 13.2 rebounds immediately after the trade and 16.4 points with 13.7 rebounds the next season. Los Angeles received 271 Counts games through 1969-70. Detroit got 57 games from No. 4 pick Sonny Dove and later sold LaRusso's rights to San Francisco. The completed outcomes favor Baltimore, with Los Angeles also receiving a strong return.