Trade Verdicts
NBA Trade Verdict

Nets Win

New Jersey traded Eric Money and Al Skinner to Philadelphia on February 7, 1979 for Harvey Catchings, Ralph Simpson and cash. Money played eight regular-season games for the 76ers and Skinner played five. Catchings and Simpson each played 32 games for the Nets that season, and Catchings then became the key downstream asset: New Jersey traded him to Milwaukee on May 31 for John Gianelli and the No. 8 pick in the 1979 draft, used on Calvin Natt. Natt gave the Nets 53 games at 19.7 points per game before being traded to Portland for Maurice Lucas and two first-round picks. The Nets won the original exchange decisively.

February 7, 1979 Brooklyn Nets / Philadelphia 76ers Record confidence: High

Brooklyn Nets Received

Philadelphia 76ers Received

Brooklyn Nets

A+

Philadelphia 76ers

D

Trade Analysis

The February Trade Was Two Players for Two Players and Cash

New Jersey's and Philadelphia's transaction logs agree on the February 7, 1979 exchange. The Nets sent Eric Money and Al Skinner to the 76ers for Harvey Catchings, Ralph Simpson and cash.

Philadelphia Got Very Little Playing Value

Money appeared in eight regular-season games for Philadelphia after the trade. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.8 assists in 16.1 minutes. Skinner played five games for the 76ers, averaging 3.6 points and 2.2 assists in 9.4 minutes. Those five games were the final NBA appearances of his career. The pair therefore produced only 13 combined regular-season appearances for Philadelphia. Neither player created a meaningful downstream asset branch for the 76ers.

Catchings and Simpson Both Played 32 Nets Games

Catchings appeared in 32 regular-season games for New Jersey after the trade. He averaged 6.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in 20.6 minutes, giving the Nets immediate frontcourt depth. Simpson also played 32 games for New Jersey, averaging 6.9 points in 16.5 minutes. He remained with the club into the following season before being waived on November 13, 1979. The direct playing return already favored New Jersey, but Catchings created the much larger value branch.

Catchings Became the No. 8 Pick

On May 31, 1979, New Jersey traded Catchings to Milwaukee for John Gianelli and a 1979 first-round pick. The Nets used that pick at No. 8 on Calvin Natt. Gianelli never became a long-term Nets player. Before the next season, New Jersey included him with Jim Boylan and Bernard King in the trade that brought Rich Kelley from Utah. Because Gianelli was only one component of that larger package, this review assigns only partial downstream credit to that branch.

Natt Became the Major Return

Natt played 53 games for New Jersey as a rookie in 1979-80. He averaged 19.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in 38.6 minutes, giving the Nets immediate high-end production from the pick created by the Catchings trade. On February 8, 1980, New Jersey traded Natt to Portland for Maurice Lucas and two first-round picks. Those selections later became Mike Gminski at No. 7 in 1980 and Albert King at No. 10 in 1981. Unlike a multi-asset bridge where one branch is hard to isolate, the Natt transaction was a direct one-player exchange for Lucas and the two firsts. That means the Catchings-to-Natt path deserves substantial downstream credit.

Final Verdict

Nets Win, A+/D. New Jersey receives an A+ because the club got 64 combined games from Catchings and Simpson, then turned Catchings into the pick used on Natt, who produced immediately and later returned Maurice Lucas plus two first-round picks. Philadelphia receives a D because Money and Skinner combined for only 13 games after the trade and generated no comparable downstream return.

Research sources (10)