1979 NBA Trades

New York traded Jim Cleamons to Washington on December 4, 1979 for a 1981 third-round pick. Cleamons immediately became a useful Bullets guard, playing 57 games while averaging 7.8 points and 4.4 assists in 26.9 minutes. New York used the No. 57 pick on Frank Brickowski, but he spent the next three seasons overseas and never played an NBA regular-season game for the Knicks; Seattle later signed him as a free agent in 1984. Washington therefore received the only meaningful realized NBA value from the deal.

Indiana traded Len Elmore to Kansas City on November 27, 1979 for a 1980 second-round pick. Elmore played 58 games for the Kings that season, giving Kansas City useful reserve-center minutes before Milwaukee signed him as a veteran free agent. The Kings then received a 1981 second-round compensation pick, later included with Otis Birdsong in the trade for Cliff Robinson. Indiana used the original No. 40 pick on Dick Miller, whose entire NBA career lasted eight games. Kansas City therefore realized substantially more direct and downstream value from the deal.

Denver traded Tom Boswell to Utah on November 20, 1979 for a 1980 second-round pick. Boswell immediately became a regular Jazz forward, playing 61 games that season while averaging 11.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25.5 minutes. Denver used the No. 41 pick on Jawann Oldham, but he appeared in only four Nuggets games before being waived on October 21, 1980. Oldham later built a 10-year NBA career elsewhere, but Denver did not realize that value. Utah therefore received the far stronger direct return from the original trade.

Cleveland traded franchise veteran Bingo Smith to San Diego on October 27, 1979 for a 1980 third-round pick. Smith immediately became a regular Clippers forward, playing 70 games and averaging 11.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 28.4 minutes. Dallas then selected him from San Diego in the 1980 expansion draft, ending the Clippers' return after one season. Cleveland used the No. 53 pick on Stuart House, who never played an NBA regular-season game. San Diego therefore received the only meaningful realized basketball value from the deal.

Cleveland acquired Kenny Carr from Los Angeles on October 24, 1979 for two second-round picks. Carr played 201 regular-season games for the Cavaliers across parts of three seasons, including 15.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in 1980-81, before Cleveland included him with Bill Laimbeer in a 1982 package for Phil Hubbard, Paul Mokeski and two draft picks. The Lakers used one incoming pick on Wayne Robinson, then traded him for the pick used on Harvey Knuckles, who never played an NBA game. The other pick helped acquire Mark Landsberger, a 206-game Lakers reserve on the 1980 and 1982 champions. Both sides received real value, with Cleveland holding a slight direct-return edge.

Denver acquired George Johnson's player rights from Milwaukee on October 19, 1979 for cash. Johnson immediately became a major Nuggets frontcourt contributor, playing 75 games while averaging 10.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25.8 minutes. Denver then sold Johnson's player rights back to Milwaukee on May 16, 1980, preserving additional transaction value after the full season of production. Milwaukee's October cash return is not quantified in the reviewed public ledgers, and the later reacquisition was a separate transaction. The realized basketball value therefore favors Denver clearly.

New Jersey acquired Mike Newlin from Houston on October 12, 1979 for a 1980 second-round pick, with cash also preserved in the frozen Nets source package. Newlin immediately became a major scorer, playing 78 games at 20.9 points per game in 1979-80 and 79 games at 21.4 in 1980-81. That is 157 Nets regular-season games and 3,322 points across two seasons. Houston used the No. 27 pick on John Stroud, who played nine NBA games and 88 total minutes, all for the Rockets. The cash amount is undocumented in the reviewed public ledgers. New Jersey received the decisive realized return.

Denver traded Robert Smith to Utah on October 9, 1979 for a 1980 third-round pick and a 1981 second-round pick. Smith played only six games for the Jazz before Utah waived him on October 25, but those six appearances still exceeded Denver's direct NBA return from the two selections. The Nuggets used No. 48 in 1980 on Eddie Lee, who never played an NBA regular-season game, and No. 34 in 1981 on Ken Green, whom Denver waived before the 1981-82 season. Green later played seven NBA games for New York, not Denver. Both sides received little, with Utah holding the narrow realized-value edge.

Indiana acquired Clemon Johnson from Portland on October 9, 1979 for a 1981 second-round pick. Johnson became a four-season Pacers center, appearing in 290 regular-season games and starting 42 in 1981-82. Indiana later included him with a 1984 third-round pick in a Philadelphia trade that returned Russ Schoene plus 1983 first- and 1984 second-round picks, so Johnson also retained transaction value beyond his playing tenure. Portland used the original No. 26 selection on Brian Jackson, who never played an NBA regular-season game. The realized return strongly favored the Pacers.

Milwaukee traded Ernie Grunfeld, a 1980 second-round pick and cash to Kansas City on October 9, 1979 for Richard Washington. Washington gave the Bucks 75 regular-season games before Dallas selected him in the 1980 expansion draft. Grunfeld became a three-season Kings rotation player, appearing in 240 games and averaging 12.7 points in 1981-82. Kansas City also converted the incoming second-round pick into Len Elmore, who played 58 games for the Kings before leaving for Milwaukee as a veteran free agent. The cash amount is undocumented in the reviewed public ledgers. Kansas City received the deeper realized return.

Cleveland traded Jim Chones to the Lakers on October 5, 1979 for Dave Robisch and a 1980 third-round pick later used on Ron Jones. Chones played all 82 regular-season games in each of his two Los Angeles seasons and started throughout the Lakers' 1980 championship playoff run, giving the Lakers 164 games plus a title-season frontcourt piece. Robisch played 93 games for Cleveland before the Cavaliers traded him to Denver for Kim Hughes and two draft picks; Hughes added 45 Cleveland games. Ron Jones did not produce an NBA regular-season return. Cleveland preserved secondary asset value, but Los Angeles received the stronger direct outcome.

Philadelphia traded Joe Bryant to San Diego on October 5, 1979 for the Clippers' 1986 first-round pick. Bryant gave San Diego 238 regular-season games over three seasons, including all 82 games in 1980-81 and 75 games with 49 starts in 1981-82. Philadelphia held the pick for nearly seven years; it became the No. 1 selection in 1986, but the 76ers traded that pick to Cleveland before the draft for Roy Hinson rather than selecting Brad Daugherty themselves. Hinson then played 105 games for Philadelphia before becoming one component of the 1988 Mike Gminski trade. Philadelphia gets a modest hindsight edge, not the runaway win implied by the legacy archive entry.

Los Angeles traded Irv Kiffin to San Antonio on October 5, 1979 for a 1980 second-round pick. Kiffin played only 26 NBA games, all for the Spurs, before San Antonio waived him on December 19. The Lakers kept the pick and selected Butch Carter at No. 37. Carter played 54 games for Los Angeles in 1980-81, then was traded to Indiana for a 1982 third-round pick. Los Angeles used that later selection on Hutch Jones, although Jones never played a regular-season game for the Lakers. The original pick therefore produced both on-court value and another asset, giving Los Angeles the clear hindsight win.

New Jersey acquired Rich Kelley from Utah on October 2, 1979 for Bernard King, John Gianelli, Jim Boylan and cash in the frozen Nets source package. Kelley played 57 regular-season games for the Nets before being traded to Phoenix for a 1982 first-round pick and a 1983 second-round pick. Utah received only 19 King games and 17 Gianelli games directly, while Boylan never appeared in a Jazz regular-season game. The Jazz then traded King to Golden State for Wayne Cooper and a 1981 second-round pick; Cooper played 71 games for Utah. Both branches retained value, with Utah holding the modest hindsight edge.

Cleveland acquired Randy Smith from San Diego on September 21, 1979 for a 1980 first-round pick plus cash in the frozen Cavaliers source package. Smith played every game for Cleveland over two seasons, totaling 164 appearances while averaging 17.6 points in 1979-80 and 14.6 in 1980-81. Cleveland then traded Smith to New York for a 1981 first-round pick that was later used as compensation when the Cavaliers signed Scott Wedman. San Diego used the original No. 9 pick on Michael Brooks, who played 293 games over four Clippers seasons and averaged at least 11 points each year. The Clippers finish with a modest realized-value edge.

Detroit traded Jim Brewer to Portland on September 18, 1979 for a 1981 second-round pick. Brewer played 67 games for the Trail Blazers in 1979-80, then Portland moved him to the Lakers for a 1984 second-round pick that became Jerome Kersey. Kersey played 831 regular-season games for Portland, second-most in franchise history. Detroit also extracted real value from its pick: the Pistons sent it to the Lakers for Wayne Robinson, who played 81 games for Detroit in 1980-81 at 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds. Both branches paid off, but Portland's Brewer-to-Kersey chain created the overwhelming long-term advantage.

Los Angeles traded Adrian Dantley to Utah on September 13, 1979 for Spencer Haywood. Haywood gave the Lakers a real one-season return, playing 76 regular-season games at 9.7 points and 4.6 rebounds and appearing in 12 playoff games for the 1980 championship team before his tenure ended during the Finals. Dantley became a franchise cornerstone. He played 461 games over seven Utah seasons, averaged 29.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists, won two NBA scoring titles, made six All-Star teams during his career and eventually entered the Hall of Fame. Utah later retired his No. 4. The Jazz won the deal decisively despite Haywood's useful title-season contribution.

Kansas City acquired Mike Green from San Antonio on September 13, 1979 for a 1980 second-round pick. Green played 21 games for the Kings, averaging 7.7 points and 5.4 rebounds in 21.9 minutes before his NBA career ended. San Antonio used the No. 39 pick on Michael Wiley, who played 33 regular-season games for the Spurs in 1980-81 at 5.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.2 minutes and appeared briefly in three playoff games. The frozen Kings source batch also lists cash going to San Antonio, but the reviewed Basketball-Reference transaction ledgers do not document an amount, so this review leaves that term unquantified. San Antonio gets a slight realized-value edge.

Boston sent Bob McAdoo to Detroit on September 6, 1979 and received two 1980 first-round picks as compensation connected to the Celtics' earlier signing of M.L. Carr. McAdoo still produced 58 games at 21.1 points per game for Detroit in 1979-80, then appeared in only six Pistons games the next season before being waived. Boston kept both first-rounders together and on June 9, 1980 traded them to Golden State for Robert Parish and the No. 3 pick used on Kevin McHale. Parish played 1,106 Celtics games and McHale 971, with both becoming Hall of Fame pillars of three championship teams. Few downstream branches are more direct or more decisive.

Milwaukee sold Kevin Restani's player rights to San Antonio on August 31, 1979 for cash. The cash amount is not documented in the reviewed transaction records, making the Bucks' side impossible to quantify beyond the sale itself. San Antonio received immediate rotation value. Restani played all 82 games in 1979-80, averaging 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 24.0 minutes, then appeared in 64 games the next season and 13 more in 1981-82. His Spurs tenure totaled 159 regular-season games before he finished that final NBA season in Cleveland. A three-season rotation return clearly outweighs an undocumented cash payment in hindsight.

Cleveland acquired Willie Smith from Portland on August 24, 1979 for a 1981 third-round pick. Smith immediately became a useful Cavaliers reserve, playing 62 games in 1979-80 and averaging 4.8 points and 4.2 assists in 17.0 minutes. That season was also his final NBA year, so Cleveland's return was short but tangible. Portland held the pick through the 1981 draft and used No. 50 on center Derek Holcomb, who never appeared in an NBA regular-season game. With 62 games and more than 1,000 minutes of direct production against a draft branch that produced no NBA games, Cleveland has the clear hindsight advantage.

Detroit traded Andre Wakefield to Phoenix on August 24, 1979 for a 1981 fourth-round pick. Phoenix waived Wakefield on October 12 before he appeared in a regular-season game for the Suns; he later signed with Utah as a free agent and played eight games there. Detroit kept the pick through the 1981 draft and used it at No. 89 on Don Koonce, but Koonce never appeared in an NBA regular-season game. Neither side generated meaningful NBA production from the original exchange. Detroit gets only a narrow hindsight edge because the Pistons at least carried the acquired asset through to a completed draft selection, while Phoenix received zero games from Wakefield.

Seattle sold the draft rights to Johnny Moore to San Antonio for cash on June 26, 1979, one day after selecting him 43rd overall. The Spurs signed Moore that summer but waived him before the season, so his later franchise career cannot be treated as uninterrupted direct trade value. San Antonio re-signed him as a free agent on March 9, 1980, and Moore eventually played 519 regular-season games for the Spurs, including several seasons as their starting point guard. Seattle's cash return is undocumented. The same-team reacquisition makes the trade look favorable for San Antonio in hindsight, but the waiver and free-agent break require a more cautious grade than Moore's full career alone would suggest.

Detroit moved from the No. 5 pick to No. 4 in the 1979 draft, sending Milwaukee the selection used on Sidney Moncrief plus cash and taking Greg Kelser. Moncrief became a Hall of Famer, played 695 regular-season games for the Bucks, made five All-Star teams, earned five All-NBA and five All-Defensive selections, and won the league's first two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Kelser played 75 games for Detroit before the Pistons traded him straight up to Seattle for Vinnie Johnson. Johnson then played 798 games for Detroit and became a key reserve on the 1989 and 1990 championship teams. Milwaukee still gets the hindsight edge, but Detroit's Kelser branch produced major downstream value.

Chicago acquired Denver's 1979 second-round pick and 10th-round pick on June 24, 1979 for cash. The Bulls used the selections on Lawrence Butler at No. 33 and Cortez Collins at No. 197. Neither player appeared in an NBA regular-season game. Butler's Basketball-Reference record lists him as a drafted rookie with no NBA statistics, while Collins likewise has no NBA game record. Denver's only documented return was cash, and the reviewed sources do not state the amount or identify a later basketball asset purchased with it. Chicago therefore gets only a slight hindsight edge for acquiring two draft chances, but the realized basketball value of both sides was minimal.

Chicago traded Wilbur Holland to the Jazz on June 22, 1979 for the player rights to Rickey Williams. Neither side realized NBA production from the asset it received. Holland had just completed three productive Bulls seasons but never appeared in another NBA game after the trade. Williams, a 1978 10th-round Jazz pick, did not play for Chicago and spent time outside the NBA before eventually appearing in 44 games for Utah in 1982-83. Because the reviewed records do not establish a Chicago-to-Utah rights return that would connect those later games to this transaction, this review does not credit them to either side. The trade is a low-value draw.

Phoenix sent Washington the rights to Steve Malovic on June 22, 1979 for the No. 22 pick in the 1979 draft and a 1980 third-round pick. The first-rounder became Kyle Macy, who gave the Suns five seasons, 393 regular-season games, 178 starts, 4,180 points and 1,555 assists. The third-rounder became John Campbell, who never played in the NBA. Malovic appeared in only one Washington game before moving on. The enormous difference between Macy's five-year Suns return and Malovic's one-game Bullets stint makes this a clear Phoenix win.

New Jersey traded Harvey Catchings to Milwaukee on May 31, 1979 for John Gianelli and the No. 8 pick in the 1979 draft, used on Calvin Natt. Catchings became a durable Bucks reserve, playing 372 regular-season games across five seasons and 33 playoff games. Natt gave the Nets 53 games as a rookie while averaging 19.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, then was traded directly to Portland for Maurice Lucas and two first-round picks that became Mike Gminski and Albert King. Gianelli was also used in the Rich Kelley trade. Milwaukee received excellent long-term depth, but New Jersey created the larger asset tree.

Cleveland sent Jim Brewer to Detroit on February 15, 1979 for future considerations that were completed when the Pistons sent Earl Tatum to the Cavaliers on April 12. Brewer played 25 games for Detroit, then was traded to Portland in September for a 1981 second-round pick. Detroit later used that exact pick to acquire Wayne Robinson from the Lakers, and Robinson played 81 games for the Pistons in 1980-81. Tatum did not appear for Cleveland in 1978-79 but played 33 games the next season before his NBA career ended. Detroit extracted the stronger realized return from Brewer and the downstream second-round asset.

Boston acquired Bob McAdoo from New York on February 12, 1979 for Tom Barker and three 1979 first-round picks that became Bill Cartwright at No. 3, Larry Demic at No. 9 and Sly Williams at No. 21. McAdoo played only 20 games for Boston, but the Celtics moved him to Detroit that September for two 1980 first-round picks. Boston then traded those two picks to Golden State for Robert Parish and the No. 3 selection used on Kevin McHale. New York received a major direct return, led by All-Star center Cartwright plus useful years from Demic and Williams, but Boston's McAdoo branch ultimately produced two franchise pillars and multiple championships.

Boston reacquired the player rights to Kevin Stacom from Indiana on February 9, 1979 after the Pacers had signed him as a veteran free agent the previous summer. The Pacers received cash, with the amount unspecified in the reviewed transaction records. Stacom played 24 regular-season games for Boston after the deal, averaging 4.9 points and 1.5 assists in 10.8 minutes. He did not play in 1979-80, was considered retired, and later returned for seven games with Milwaukee in 1981-82. Boston received a modest amount of immediate guard depth; Indiana's cash return cannot be quantified, so the Celtics get a narrow hindsight edge.

New Jersey traded Eric Money and Al Skinner to Philadelphia on February 7, 1979 for Harvey Catchings, Ralph Simpson and cash. Money played eight regular-season games for the 76ers and Skinner played five. Catchings and Simpson each played 32 games for the Nets that season, and Catchings then became the key downstream asset: New Jersey traded him to Milwaukee on May 31 for John Gianelli and the No. 8 pick in the 1979 draft, used on Calvin Natt. Natt gave the Nets 53 games at 19.7 points per game before being traded to Portland for Maurice Lucas and two first-round picks. The Nets won the original exchange decisively.

Atlanta acquired Terry Furlow from Cleveland on January 31, 1979 for rookie guard Butch Lee and a 1983 first-round pick. Furlow played 50 regular-season games for the Hawks across parts of two seasons before Atlanta sent him to Utah for two second-round picks. Lee played 36 games for Cleveland before the Cavaliers later included him with a separate 1982 first-rounder in a Lakers trade. Cleveland also retained the 1983 first until October 1980, when it was packaged with Bill Robinzine and another first-round pick in a Dallas deal. Both branches produced usable value, with Cleveland holding the slightly stronger original asset package.

Boston traded longtime guard Jo Jo White to Golden State on January 30, 1979 for a 1979 first-round pick. White played 107 regular-season games over parts of two Warriors seasons, averaging 13.8 points and 4.6 assists across that stint, before Golden State sold his rights to Kansas City in September 1980. Boston never used the incoming pick at the draft. Twelve days later, the Celtics bundled it with two other 1979 first-rounders and Tom Barker to acquire Bob McAdoo from New York. The pick retained real transaction value, but White supplied the cleaner direct return, giving Golden State the slight retrospective edge.

Boston traded Dennis Awtrey to Seattle on January 17, 1979 for a 1979 first-round pick plus cash. Awtrey played 40 regular-season games for the SuperSonics and appeared throughout their 1979 championship playoff run, giving Seattle immediate depth on a title team. Boston never used the pick directly: it became the No. 21 selection later associated with Sly Williams, but the Celtics sent it with two other first-rounders and Tom Barker to New York for Bob McAdoo. McAdoo played 20 games for Boston before becoming part of another major asset chain. Seattle got the cleaner direct basketball return; Boston preserved comparable transaction value.

Boston traded Billy Knight to Indiana on January 16, 1979 for rookie center Rick Robey. Knight gave the Pacers 357 regular-season games over the next five seasons, including 17.5 points per game in 1980-81 and 17.1 in 1982-83. Robey played 339 regular-season games for Boston, helped the Celtics win the 1981 championship and later became part of the June 1983 package that brought Dennis Johnson plus two draft picks to Boston. Johnson then played 541 games over seven Celtics seasons and started for the 1984 and 1986 champions. Indiana received the better scorer, but Boston extracted more championship and downstream transaction value.

Phoenix acquired Truck Robinson from New Orleans on January 12, 1979 for Marty Byrnes, Ron Lee, first-round picks in 1979 and 1980, and cash. Robinson immediately averaged 19.9 points and 10.7 rebounds in 26 regular-season Suns games, helped Phoenix reach the 1979 Western Conference Finals, then played all 82 games in both 1979-80 and 1980-81 and made the 1981 All-Star team. New Orleans/Utah received brief Byrnes and Lee stints, drafted Larry Knight at No. 20 in 1979 without an NBA appearance, and got 119 Jazz games from 1980 No. 19 John Duren. The two-first price was substantial, but the realized return strongly favored Phoenix.

New York traded Spencer Haywood to the New Orleans Jazz on January 5, 1979 for Joe Meriweather. Meriweather played 106 regular-season games over parts of two Knicks seasons, averaging about nine points and five-and-a-half rebounds, before New York included him in a 1980 three-team trade. Haywood immediately averaged 24.0 points and 9.6 rebounds over 34 games for New Orleans. After the franchise moved to Utah, the Jazz traded Haywood to the Lakers for Adrian Dantley. Dantley then played 461 games across seven Utah seasons and averaged 29.6 points. Meriweather was useful, but the Haywood-to-Dantley conversion gives the Jazz an overwhelming long-term advantage.