The Three-Pick Package Is Fully Confirmed
The New Jersey, Philadelphia and league transaction ledgers all record the same January 31, 1978 exchange. The Nets sent a 1979 second-round pick, a 1982 second-round pick and a 1983 third-round pick to the 76ers for Wilson Washington. Those picks ultimately became No. 36 Clint Richardson in 1979, No. 36 J.J. Anderson in 1982 and No. 64 Claude Riley in 1983. The legacy archive entry already had the right structure, so this review focuses on the realized value of each branch.
Washington Gave New Jersey 86 Games
Washington had appeared in only 14 games for Philadelphia before the trade. With New Jersey, he immediately moved into a larger role. He played 24 games for the Nets in the remainder of 1977-78, averaging 8.8 points and 5.9 rebounds in 21.8 minutes. He returned for 62 games in 1978-79 and averaged 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18.4 minutes. Across his two Nets seasons, Washington appeared in 86 regular-season games and averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds. Basketball-Reference lists 1978-79 as the final season of his NBA career. New Jersey therefore received useful short-term frontcourt production, but no later player or draft branch followed his departure.
The 1979 Pick Became the Important Philadelphia Asset
Philadelphia used the first incoming pick at No. 36 in the 1979 draft on Clint Richardson. He became a six-season 76ers guard and appeared in 426 regular-season games for Philadelphia. Richardson played 52 games as a rookie, then 77 in each of the next three seasons, followed by 69 in 1983-84 and 74 in 1984-85. He was never a star, but he became a durable rotation piece on a contender. Most importantly, Richardson was part of the 1982-83 championship team. He appeared in 13 playoff games during that title run, including all four games of the Finals sweep over the Lakers. Richardson also retained some later transaction value. Philadelphia traded him to Indiana in October 1985 for a 1989 second-round pick, later used on Reggie Cross, plus a conditional future second-round pick that was not exercised. This review does not need that later return to justify the original trade, but it extends the Richardson branch beyond his six Philadelphia seasons.
The 1982 Pick Produced Only a Brief Philadelphia Stint
The second-round pick from 1982 became J.J. Anderson at No. 36. Anderson played 13 games for Philadelphia in 1982-83, averaging 1.3 points in 3.7 minutes. The 76ers waived him on December 20, 1982. He later played for Utah, but those Jazz games do not belong to Philadelphia's return. This branch provided only minimal direct value to the 76ers.
The 1983 Third-Round Pick Never Produced NBA Games
Philadelphia used the third pick on Claude Riley at No. 64 in 1983. Basketball-Reference lists his college record and draft transaction but no NBA regular-season career. That branch ended without on-court NBA value.
Final Verdict
76ers Win, A/B-. Philadelphia receives an A because one of the three picks became a six-season, 426-game rotation guard who contributed to the 1983 championship, while the other two picks at least reached the draft stage. New Jersey receives a B- because Washington gave the Nets 86 legitimate rotation games across two seasons, but his NBA career then ended and the Nets surrendered the pick that became the deal's only durable long-term contributor. The trade is not a total miss for New Jersey, but Richardson's six-year Philadelphia run creates a clear hindsight gap. Confidence is high.