New Jersey traded Cliff Robinson to Kansas City on June 8, 1981 for Otis Birdsong and a 1981 second-round pick. Birdsong became a seven-season Nets guard, playing 375 regular-season games and making the 1984 All-Star team while averaging 15.9 points during his New Jersey tenure. The incoming second-rounder was not used by the Nets; it was immediately routed to Washington to complete the 1980 Roger Phegley trade. Kansas City received 38 Robinson games at 20.2 points and 8.5 rebounds, then traded him for Reggie Johnson, who played 81 Kings games before being moved for cash. Both sides realized value, but Birdsong made this a clear Nets win.
New Jersey and Kansas City transaction ledgers agree on the June 8, 1981 exchange. The Nets sent Cliff Robinson to the Kings for Otis Birdsong and a 1981 second-round pick. The pick later became the No. 44 selection associated with Steve Lingenfelter, but that label needs important routing context.
Birdsong arrived after an All-NBA Second Team season with Kansas City and immediately became a major part of New Jersey's rebuild. He played 37 games in 1981-82, then 62 in 1982-83, 69 in 1983-84, 56 in 1984-85, 77 in 1985-86, seven in 1986-87 and 67 in 1987-88. That is 375 regular-season games for the Nets across seven seasons. Birdsong averaged 19.8 points in 1983-84 and 20.6 in 1984-85. He made the All-Star team during his New Jersey tenure and became one of the core guards on the Nets teams that reached five consecutive postseasons after the trade.
The Nets did not select Steve Lingenfelter with the incoming No. 44 pick. New Jersey had already promised that exact 1981 second-rounder to Washington in the February 4, 1980 Roger Phegley trade. Contemporary Nets transaction history shows that after obtaining the pick from Kansas City, New Jersey sent it to the Bullets to complete the earlier obligation. Washington then used No. 44 on Lingenfelter. This review therefore treats the pick as an obligation-clearing asset for New Jersey, not as a drafted player return.
Robinson played 38 games for Kansas City in 1981-82, starting 30. He averaged 20.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 32.3 minutes. That is a much better direct return than the old shorthand grade suggested. Robinson was a productive 21-year-old forward during his brief Kings tenure.
On February 16, 1982, Kansas City traded Robinson to Cleveland for Reggie Johnson. Johnson played 31 games for the Kings to finish 1981-82, then 50 more in 1982-83. He averaged 10.9 points and 6.0 rebounds across the full three-team 1981-82 season and remained a useful Kansas City rotation forward the following year. The Kings traded Johnson to Philadelphia for cash on February 15, 1983. This review therefore credits the Robinson branch with 38 Robinson games, 81 Johnson games and an eventual cash return.
Kansas City did not get an empty return. Robinson was excellent for 38 games, and the Kings later extracted 81 games from Johnson. New Jersey, however, received 375 Birdsong games over seven seasons, an All-Star-level peak and a long-term starting guard for a playoff-era core. The second-round pick also cleared an existing Washington obligation. The difference is not that Kansas City failed. It is that Birdsong delivered far more durable and higher-end value than the Robinson-to-Johnson branch.
Nets Win, A+/B. New Jersey receives an A+ for 375 Birdsong games, an All-Star season and a seven-year core tenure, plus the obligation-clearing second-round pick. Kansas City receives a B for 38 productive Robinson games, 81 downstream Reggie Johnson games and a later cash return.