New Jersey acquired Rich Kelley from Utah on October 2, 1979 for Bernard King, John Gianelli, Jim Boylan and cash in the frozen Nets source package. Kelley played 57 regular-season games for the Nets before being traded to Phoenix for a 1982 first-round pick and a 1983 second-round pick. Utah received only 19 King games and 17 Gianelli games directly, while Boylan never appeared in a Jazz regular-season game. The Jazz then traded King to Golden State for Wayne Cooper and a 1981 second-round pick; Cooper played 71 games for Utah. Both branches retained value, with Utah holding the modest hindsight edge.
Basketball-Reference records New Jersey sending Bernard King, John Gianelli and Jim Boylan to Utah on October 2, 1979 for Rich Kelley. The frozen Nets source package also lists cash going to Utah, but the reviewed public transaction ledgers do not state an amount, so this review preserves the term without scoring it.
Kelley played 57 games for the Nets in 1979-80, averaging 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 25.7 minutes. He was not a long-term Net, but the branch did not end when he left. On February 15, 1980, New Jersey traded Kelley to Phoenix for a 1982 first-round pick and a 1983 second-round pick. The first later became the No. 17 selection associated with Brook Steppe after New Jersey sent it with Mike Woodson to Kansas City for Sam Lacey. That later deal required Woodson as well, so this review does not assign the full Lacey return to Kelley alone. The important point is that Kelley produced more than half a season of useful center play and was then converted into a first-round asset plus a second.
King played 19 games for Utah and averaged 9.3 points in 22.1 minutes. Gianelli played 17 games, averaging 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds, before the Jazz waived him on November 28. Boylan did not appear in a Jazz regular-season game. His Basketball-Reference page lists only his rookie NBA season, so there is no Utah playing return to score from that portion of the package.
Utah moved King on September 11, 1980, receiving Wayne Cooper and a 1981 second-round pick from Golden State. Cooper then played 71 games for the Jazz in 1980-81, averaging 6.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 20 minutes. The second-round pick was later associated with Ken Green. This review credits Utah with the retained pick value but does not inflate the branch beyond the assets actually received.
New Jersey did better than the legacy F grade suggests. Kelley gave the Nets 57 games and was later converted into a first-round pick plus a second-round pick. That is a legitimate multi-step return. Utah received less immediate production from the original players, but King still became Cooper plus another pick. Adding Cooper's 71 games to King and Gianelli's brief Jazz stints gives Utah a little more isolated realized value from the original package.
Slight Jazz Edge, A-/B+. Utah receives an A- because the King branch became 71 Wayne Cooper games plus a second-round pick, while King and Gianelli also contributed briefly before leaving. New Jersey receives a B+ because Kelley played 57 games and was later converted into a first-rounder and a second-rounder. The cash amount remains unresolved and unscored.