New Jersey sent Al Skinner and two second-round picks to Detroit on November 7, 1977 for Howard Porter, Kevin Porter and cash. The Nets received strong immediate production: Howard Porter played 55 games at 12.8 points per game, while Kevin Porter played 74 at 16.2 points and a league-leading 10.8 assists in his New Jersey portion of the season. Kevin Porter was then traded back to Detroit for Eric Money, who gave the Nets 47 games at 16.7 points before another trade. Detroit's return proved more durable. Skinner played 69 Pistons games, and the 1978 second-rounder became No. 23 Terry Tyler, who played 574 Detroit games across seven seasons, made the 1979 All-Rookie team and became one of the league's better shot blockers. The 1979 second became Tony Price, who never played for Detroit. The Nets got real short-term value, but Tyler's seven-year Pistons tenure gives Detroit the stronger realized result.
New Jersey, Detroit and the league transaction ledgers all record the November 7, 1977 trade the same way. The Nets sent Al Skinner, their 1978 second-round pick and their 1979 second-round pick to the Pistons. Detroit sent Howard Porter, Kevin Porter and cash to New Jersey. The cited Basketball-Reference ledgers do not state a cash amount, so this review leaves it unspecified.
Howard Porter played 55 games for New Jersey after the trade, averaging 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 22.1 minutes. Those 55 games were the final NBA regular-season games of his career. Kevin Porter provided the larger return. He played 74 Nets games in 1977-78, averaging 16.2 points and 10.8 assists. Across his full two-team season he led the NBA at 10.2 assists per game, and his New Jersey segment was even higher. The Nets also retained value when Kevin Porter left. On September 8, 1978, New Jersey traded him back to Detroit for Eric Money. Money then played 47 Nets games in 1978-79 at 16.7 points and 5.3 assists before being moved with Skinner to Philadelphia for Harvey Catchings, Ralph Simpson and cash. Because Skinner was also in that later package, this review does not assign the entire Philadelphia return to the Kevin Porter branch.
Skinner played 69 games for Detroit after the trade, averaging 7.0 points in 18.5 minutes. The Pistons waived him on September 15, 1978. He signed back with New Jersey six days later, so Detroit's direct Skinner return ended after one season.
The 1978 second-round pick landed at No. 23 and became Terry Tyler. He played all 82 games in each of his seven Detroit seasons from 1978-79 through 1984-85, totaling 574 regular-season appearances for the Pistons. Tyler averaged 11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks over those seven seasons. He made the 1979 All-Rookie First Team and ranked among the league's leading shot blockers repeatedly. That combination of durability and defense is the largest single realized asset in the trade. Tyler's 1985 veteran-free-agent departure also created a compensation arrangement involving first-round positioning and a second-round pick. Detroit ultimately selected John Salley at No. 11 in 1986, but the arrangement also sent Detroit's own first-round position to Sacramento, so this review does not credit Salley's entire later career to Tyler alone.
Detroit used the other second-round pick at No. 29 in 1979 on Tony Price. The Pistons waived him before the season, and he never played a regular-season game for Detroit. Price later appeared in five games for San Diego in 1980-81.
Pistons Edge, A/B+. Detroit receives an A because Tyler alone supplied 574 games across seven seasons, with Skinner adding another 69. New Jersey receives a B+ because Kevin Porter delivered an outstanding 74-game season, Howard Porter added 55 useful games and the Kevin Porter branch produced Eric Money. The Nets did well in the short term, but Detroit's seven years of Tyler production create the stronger total return. Confidence is high.