The Exchange
Basketball-Reference's New York Nets, Virginia Squires and league transaction ledgers agree on the July 31, 1973 structure: Virginia sent Julius Erving and Willie Sojourner to New York for George Carter, Kermit Washington and cash. Roy Boe's Nets executive record and Al Bianchi's Squires executive record preserve the same package. Washington had just been selected fifth overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1973 NBA draft, so Virginia acquired his ABA rights rather than a player who was under contract to join the Squires. The reviewed sources do not preserve the cash amount, leaving that component verified but unpriced.
Erving Changes the Nets Immediately
Erving transformed New York in his first season. He played all 84 games in 1973-74 and averaged 27.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists while winning the ABA MVP. The Nets improved from 30-54 the previous year to 55-29 and won the ABA championship. Erving then played all 84 games again in 1974-75 and all 84 in 1975-76, winning the league MVP in each season. Across the three years New York received 252 consecutive regular-season appearances from the best player in the league.
Two Championships and Three MVPs
The postseason return is even more important than the regular-season durability. Erving led the Nets to the 1974 championship in his first year with the club, then to another title in 1976, the ABA's final season. Basketball-Reference lists him as playoff leader in both championship runs, and his 1975-76 regular-season line reached 29.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. A transaction that produces three MVP seasons and two league titles is not merely a strong star acquisition; it changes the competitive history of the franchise.
Sojourner Adds Real Supporting Value
Sojourner was not a throw-in who disappeared. He played 82 games for New York in 1973-74 and 79 in 1974-75, giving the Nets 161 regular-season appearances across two seasons. In the first championship year he averaged 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.0 minutes and appeared in the postseason. New York waived him in October 1975, so his direct asset chain ended before the second championship season, but the initial trade still produced two usable players rather than Erving alone.
Virginia's Best Return Was George Carter
Carter gave the Squires substantial short-term production. In 1973-74 he played 80 games and averaged 19.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 35.2 minutes. He also averaged 20.8 points across five playoff games, which happened to come against the Nets. Virginia later traded Carter and Mike Barr to the Memphis Sounds for Glen Combs and Mike Jackson in August 1974. That means Carter retained some downstream transaction value after his strong Squires season, even though Virginia did not keep him long enough to build a multi-year core around the return.
Washington's Rights Never Become Squires Production
Washington is important to distinguish from Carter. The Lakers drafted him fifth overall in 1973, and Basketball-Reference shows him beginning his NBA career with Los Angeles that fall. He played 45 games for the Lakers in 1973-74 and never appeared for Virginia. The Squires therefore received an ABA rights asset that produced zero direct games. Whatever strategic leverage those rights may have represented at the time, the reviewed transaction history does not show Virginia converting them into a later player or pick.
The Cash Cannot Close the Gap
Virginia also received cash, which mattered for a financially strained ABA club, but the amount is not identified in the reviewed ledgers. This archive does not invent a figure or convert an unknown payment into fictional player value. Carter's 80-game season plus the later Memphis trade give Virginia a real return, and the cash keeps the package from being treated as empty. None of those assets, however, approaches three Erving MVP seasons, two championships and 252 games from a franchise-defining player.
Final Verdict
Nets Win, A+/C+. New York receives an A+ because Erving delivered 252 regular-season games, three consecutive ABA MVP awards and championships in 1974 and 1976, while Sojourner added 161 games over two seasons. Virginia receives a C+ because Carter supplied an excellent 80-game scoring season and later trade utility, plus unpriced cash, but Washington's ABA rights produced zero Squires games and the package did not replace the superstar value sent away. Confidence is high on the trade mechanics, player production and Washington's zero-game Squires outcome, with only the cash amount unresolved. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.