Milwaukee Bought Five Years of Frontcourt Depth
The May 31, 1979 transaction sent Harvey Catchings to Milwaukee for John Gianelli and a 1979 first-round pick. The Nets used the pick at No. 8 on Calvin Natt.
Catchings was a strong realized return for Milwaukee. He played 72 games in 1979-80, 77 in 1980-81, 80 in 1981-82, 74 in 1982-83 and 69 in 1983-84. That is 372 regular-season games across five Bucks seasons.
He was never a high-volume scorer, but he provided rebounding and interior defense for repeated playoff teams. Basketball-Reference credits him with 33 postseason appearances for Milwaukee over that span.
Natt Became an Immediate Nets Star
New Jersey used the incoming first-round pick on Calvin Natt at No. 8. He played 53 games for the Nets as a rookie and averaged 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 38.6 minutes.
That alone gave the Nets a high-end return from the pick. The larger value came when they moved Natt before the season ended.
Natt Directly Became Lucas and Two Firsts
On February 8, 1980, New Jersey traded Natt to Portland for Maurice Lucas and two first-round picks. The picks became No. 7 Mike Gminski in 1980 and No. 10 Albert King in 1981.
Because that was a direct Natt-for-package trade, this review gives the branch full downstream credit. Gminski became a long-term Nets center, while King also spent multiple seasons with the franchise. Lucas added immediate veteran frontcourt value before leaving after the following season.
Gianelli Also Retained Trade Utility
John Gianelli was not a major long-term Nets player, but he did not disappear from the asset chain. Before the 1979-80 season, New Jersey included him with Jim Boylan and Bernard King in the trade that brought Rich Kelley from Utah.
Gianelli was only one piece of that package, so this review assigns partial credit to that branch rather than treating Kelley as Gianelli's sole return.
Why the Nets Win Despite Catchings' Excellent Milwaukee Tenure
Milwaukee clearly received real value: 372 Catchings games and 33 playoff appearances across five seasons is a strong result for one veteran acquisition.
New Jersey, however, turned the No. 8 pick into Natt's outstanding rookie production and then directly into Lucas plus two first-rounders. That created both immediate production and a larger multi-year asset base.
Final Verdict
Nets Win, A+/A. New Jersey receives an A+ for Natt's rookie season and the direct Lucas-Gminski-King return, with Gianelli adding a smaller secondary branch. Milwaukee receives an A because Catchings supplied five durable seasons and meaningful playoff depth.