The Exchange
Basketball-Reference's Nets, Colonels and ABA transaction logs all agree on the core transaction: New York sent Walt Simon to Kentucky on October 14, 1970 for a draft choice. The surviving ledgers do not identify the year, round or eventual player tied to that pick. Pro Sports Transactions' 1971 ABA draft ledger documents several traded selections but does not connect this Simon transaction to a specific New York choice. That missing link is important because it prevents treating the Nets' return as worthless simply because its outcome is not currently traceable.
Kentucky Return
Simon gave the Colonels immediate and durable rotation value. In 1970-71 he played all 84 regular-season games, averaged 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists, and stayed in the rotation as Kentucky advanced through two playoff rounds before losing the ABA Finals to Utah. His value did not end with that first season. Basketball-Reference's franchise totals credit Simon with 314 games across four Kentucky seasons, 2,780 points, 1,152 rebounds and 746 assists. That works out to 8.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game over the full stint. He was not a franchise centerpiece, but four years of useful wing minutes is a strong realized return for an otherwise unspecified future pick.
New York Return
The Nets received a future draft choice, but the current source trail does not identify its year, round or drafted player. The 1971 ABA draft ledger is especially useful because it explicitly traces a number of traded picks involving New York and Kentucky, including other deals from the same period, yet it does not establish a Simon-to-Nets pick chain. That makes this a source gap rather than proof that the selection failed. New York therefore keeps a neutral grade instead of being penalized as though the asset vanished without value.
Hindsight Comparison
The comparison is asymmetric. Kentucky's side can be measured: Simon played 314 games for the Colonels and remained part of competitive teams that reached the 1971 ABA Finals and posted a 68-16 regular-season record in 1971-72. New York's side cannot be measured beyond knowing that a draft choice changed hands. Because the pick outcome is unresolved, the proper conclusion is not that Kentucky won by a landslide. It is that the Colonels banked several seasons of documented production while the Nets' return remains unverified. That supports a clear but restrained Kentucky advantage.
Final Verdict
Colonels Win, B/C. Kentucky receives a B for turning a future pick into four seasons of Walt Simon, including 314 games of dependable rotation production. New York receives a C because the compensation itself is verified but its eventual player outcome is not. Confidence is medium: the transaction and Simon's Kentucky career are well documented, while the exact draft asset remains unresolved. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.