1985 NBA Trades

Cleveland Cavaliers received 1987 fourth round pick (#80-Carven Holcomb). Indiana Pacers received Ron Anderson. Pacers Win. Cleveland Cavaliers is graded C+; Indiana Pacers is graded B. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Dallas Mavericks received James Donaldson. Los Angeles/San Diego Clippers received Kurt Nimphius. Mavericks Win. Dallas Mavericks is graded A-; Los Angeles/San Diego Clippers is graded C. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Pistons Win. Detroit earns A because the 1986 draft-swap option yielded No. 11 John Salley, whose actual Pistons defense and championship-era minutes provided long-term value, plus a later second associated with Rickie Winslow. Sacramento receives C for the No. 17 rights associated with Harold Pressley. The agreement involved draft options, not a direct trade of those players' contracts. On November 20, 1985, Detroit and Sacramento arranged an option involving their 1986 or 1987 first-round selections along with a future second. The exercised rights in the canonical ledger placed

Chicago Bulls received Spurs agreed to not exercise their right of first refusal on free agent John Paxson. San Antonio Spurs received cash. Bulls Win. Chicago Bulls is graded A; San Antonio Spurs is graded D. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Chicago Bulls received George Gervin. San Antonio Spurs received David Greenwood. Slight Spurs Edge. Chicago Bulls is graded B; San Antonio Spurs is graded B+. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Slight 76ers Edge. Philadelphia earns B- for two separate future second-round rights, one later appearing as the 1989 No. 44 Reggie Cross position. Indiana receives C+ for acquiring veteran guard Clint Richardson. The unresolved 1990 selection is not assigned an invented player, and Richardson's previous Philadelphia seasons are not counted as new Pacers NBA output. The October 23, 1985 agreement brought guard Clint Richardson to Indiana from Philadelphia in exchange for a 1989 second-round selection and a further 1990 second-round commitment. The historical

San Antonio Spurs received Jon Sundvold. Seattle Supersonics received 1986 second round pick (#38-Lemone Lampley). Spurs Win. San Antonio Spurs is graded A-; Seattle Supersonics is graded C+. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

In October 1985, Portland signed veteran center Caldwell Jones and compensated Chicago with a 1987 second-round draft pick that later became No. 40 Winston Garland. Jones played 309 regular-season games for Portland from 1985-86 through 1988-89. Chicago traded the pick back to Portland in a larger June 1986 package for Steve Colter, who played 27 Bulls games before moving on. Milwaukee ultimately selected Garland. Blazers Win, Portland A-, Chicago C+.

Chicago signed veteran free agent Kyle Macy on October 4, 1985 after Phoenix agreed not to exercise its right of first refusal; the Bulls sent the Suns 1986 and 1990 second-round picks as compensation. Macy immediately started 79 of 82 games for Chicago, averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 assists. Phoenix used the first pick on Rafael Addison, who gave the Suns 62 games and 12 starts in one season. The second became Milos Babic, whose rights Phoenix traded for Stefano Rusconi; Rusconi eventually played only seven Suns games. Chicago's one full starting season from Macy narrowly outweighs Phoenix's modest two-pick return.

Boston Celtics received Jerry Sichting. Indiana Pacers received 1989 second-round pick (#44 Reggie Cross) and 1990 second-round pick (#46 Kenny Williams (a). Celtics Win. Boston Celtics is graded B+; Indiana Pacers is graded C+. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

On September 27, 1985, Dallas sent Anthony Teachey's rights to Seattle for a conditional 1989 second-round pick contingent on his staying with the SuperSonics. Seattle placed Teachey on waivers October 11, before the regular season, and he never appeared in an NBA game for the franchise. The inherited transaction states that the conditional pick never conveyed, with no independent evidence of a selection received by Dallas. Even Trade, C- for both.

Celtics Win, slightly. Boston receives C+ for the 1987 fourth-round position eventually identified as No. 70 Tom Sheehey. Los Angeles receives C- because Boston agreed not to exercise its matching right on Ray Williams. The trade was about a free-agent right, not an existing signed player, and the fourth-round pick was not a guaranteed rotation solution. On September 26, 1985, the Celtics agreed not to exercise their right of first refusal concerning veteran free agent Ray Williams, allowing the Los An

Dallas Mavericks received future considerations (details not identified in source). Philadelphia 76ers received Jeff Cross. Insufficient Evidence. Dallas Mavericks is graded ; Philadelphia 76ers is graded N/A. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Boston Celtics received Bill Walton. Los Angeles/San Diego Clippers received Cedric Maxwell, 1986 first-round pick (#24 Arvydas Sabonis), and cash. Celtics Win. Boston Celtics is graded A; Los Angeles/San Diego Clippers is graded C+. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Even Trade. Boston earns B- for the future 1989 second-round right associated with No. 44 Reggie Cross; Indiana receives B- for veteran guard Quinn Buckner. Buckner's earlier Celtics championships aren't Indiana results, and Cross's draft-slot identity isn't proof of long-term Celtics NBA output. Both assets answered reasonable needs in 1985. On September 3, 1985, Boston exchanged guard Quinn Buckner with Indiana for a future 1989 second-round selection. The historical draft ledger later associates that position with No

Slight Nets Edge. New Jersey earns C+ for acquiring Wallace Johnson as a near-term roster option, while Golden State receives C for the 1986 third-round selection that became No. 59 Wendell Alexis. Both were modest returns, and the draft rights did not guarantee long-term NBA Warriors production. The 1985 franchise was the New Jersey Nets. On August 21, 1985 the New Jersey Nets acquired Wallace Johnson from Golden State while the Warriors received a 1986 third-round selection. That choice eventually appeared as No. 59, associated w

New Jersey acquired veteran forward Mickey Johnson from Golden State on August 21, 1985, for a 1986 third-round selection. Johnson played 79 Nets games in 1985-86 and contributed 616 points, 332 rebounds and 217 assists. The pick became No. 59 Wendell Alexis, who never played an NBA game. Nets Win, New Jersey B, Golden State D+. A separate imported 1985-08-21 record incorrectly names Wallace Johnson for the same pick and requires a provenance repair.

Los Angeles Lakers received Maurice Lucas. Phoenix Suns received 1988 second-round pick (#50-Steve Kerr) and 1989 second-round pick (#52-Greg Grant). Slight Suns Edge. Los Angeles Lakers is graded B-; Phoenix Suns is graded B. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Milwaukee Bucks received Mark McNamara. Kansas City/Sacramento Kings received 1986 fourth round pick (#91-Bob Beecher). Bucks Win. Milwaukee Bucks is graded B+; Kansas City/Sacramento Kings is graded C. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Houston acquired center Granville Waiters from Indiana on August 1, 1985, giving up its 1987 third-round pick, eventually No. 60 Sean Couch. Waiters appeared in 43 regular-season Rockets games in 1985-86, scoring 27 points with 28 rebounds in 156 minutes. Couch did not play an NBA regular-season game for Indiana. Rockets Win, Houston C-, Indiana D+; the result corrects an inherited Pacers-win grade.

Chicago Bulls received rights to Charles Oakley and rights to Calvin Duncan. Cleveland Cavaliers received Ennis Whatley and rights to Keith Lee. Bulls Win. Chicago Bulls is graded A+; Cleveland Cavaliers is graded D. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Chicago Bulls received rights to Mike Smrek. Portland Trail Blazers received rights to Ben Coleman and rights to Ken Johnson (H.). Even Trade. Chicago Bulls is graded C+; Portland Trail Blazers is graded C+. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Chicago Bulls received Gene Banks. San Antonio Spurs received Steve Johnson and 1985 second round pick (#29-Mike Brittain). Bulls Win. Chicago Bulls is graded C+; San Antonio Spurs is graded C-. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Detroit Pistons received Rick Mahorn and Mike Gibson. Washington franchise received Dan Roundfield. Pistons Win. Detroit Pistons is graded A; Washington franchise is graded C+. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.

Washington traded veteran forward Greg Ballard to Golden State on June 17, 1985 for the 31st pick that became Manute Bol and a 1987 second-rounder subsequently used at No. 36 on Duane Washington. Ballard supplied 157 Warriors games, 3,371 minutes and 1,241 points in two seasons. Bol gave Washington an extraordinary rookie year with 397 blocks in 80 games and remained three seasons. Bullets Win, A+ against Golden State B.

Phoenix acquired second-year wing Bernard Thompson from Portland on June 14, 1985 for a 1987 second-round pick. Thompson gave the Suns three seasons, 122 regular-season games, 29 starts and 819 points, including a 61-game 1985-86 season in which he averaged 8.5 points and started 20 times. Portland used the pick at No. 30 on Nikita Wilson, whose NBA career lasted 15 games, 54 minutes and 19 points. The trade was low-stakes, but Phoenix received substantially more realized rotation value from Thompson than Portland received from the pick.

On May 1, 1985, Boston traded a first-round choice later associated with Terry Porter and a 1988 second-round right for Dallas's first-round choice later used on Sam Vincent. The Mavericks gained more future selection value, while Boston chose an immediate draft position it preferred. The inherited Mavericks Win grades Dallas A- and Boston C-.

Knicks Win. New York earns A- because the 1985 No. 47 second-round choice became Gerald Wilkins, a meaningful Knicks contributor, while it also received a separate 1986 No. 47 choice tied to Michael Jackson. Boston gets C- for freedom to pursue Ray Williams without the Knicks' matching claim. The agreement concerned free-agent rights, not two veteran contracts exchanged. Boston's February 21, 1985 arrangement involved veteran free agent Ray Williams and the Knicks' decision not to exercise their right of first refusal.

Cleveland Cavaliers received 1985 second round pick (#45-Hot Rod Williams) and 1987 conditional pick (second round if Thompson joins Bucks roster this season, else third round) (#41-Kannard Johnson). Milwaukee Bucks received Paul Thompson. Cavaliers Win. Cleveland Cavaliers is graded A+; Milwaukee Bucks is graded D. The completed outcome is judged on realized player production, draft conversion and traceable downstream trade value rather than on the best later name merely associated with a pick.