The Exchange
On June 17, 1970, the Atlanta Hawks traded Gary Gregor to the expansion Portland Trail Blazers for Jerry Chambers. Basketball-Reference's league ledger, Atlanta transaction log, Portland executive register and team-to-team trade ledger agree on the date and one-for-one package. Portland had selected Chambers from Phoenix in the expansion draft only weeks earlier, so the deal immediately converted one expansion selection into a younger frontcourt piece with recent Atlanta experience.
Portland Return
Gregor became a regular part of Portland's first two rosters. In 1970-71 he appeared in 44 games and averaged 13.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per 36 minutes. His larger contribution came in 1971-72, when he played all 82 games and averaged 11.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 28.9 minutes. Across the two Portland seasons, Basketball-Reference's trade ledger credits him with 126 games, 10.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.5 win shares.
Portland also retained a small amount of value after Gregor left. Philadelphia signed him as a veteran free agent on September 11, 1972 and sent Portland a 1974 second-round pick as compensation. The Trail Blazers used that selection at No. 36 on Rubin Collins, who never appeared in an NBA game. The compensation therefore matters as a verified asset outcome, but it does not add realized player production to the original trade.
Atlanta Return
Chambers gave Atlanta one useful season. He played 65 games in 1970-71, averaging 8.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 18.0 minutes. Basketball-Reference credits 1.5 win shares from that season, and he also appeared in four playoff games. The role was smaller than Gregor's eventual Portland role, but Chambers was not a zero-value acquisition.
Atlanta moved Chambers again on July 26, 1971, packaging him with Walt Hazzard to Buffalo for Herm Gilliam and Don May. That later transaction preserves some downstream value, but Chambers cannot responsibly be credited with the entire Gilliam-May return because Hazzard was bundled with him. The same attribution rule used elsewhere in the archive prevents a secondary package from being counted as if Atlanta had obtained both players solely for Chambers.
Hindsight Comparison
The direct comparison favors Portland. Gregor played 126 games for the Trail Blazers to Chambers' 65 for Atlanta, and the trade-partner ledger gives Portland 2.5 future win shares against Atlanta's 1.5. Gregor also carried enough value after his Portland tenure to trigger a second-round compensation pick when Philadelphia signed him. Collins never reached the NBA, so that pick does not transform the deal, but it still extends Portland's asset chain beyond Gregor's two seasons.
Atlanta received a useful reserve season and later included Chambers in another trade, which keeps the Hawks' return respectable. Portland simply received more playing time, more aggregate production and one additional verified asset. The gap is real without being large enough to treat Atlanta's side as a failure.
Final Verdict
Trail Blazers Win, B/C+. Portland receives a B for two productive Gregor seasons, 126 games and the later veteran-free-agent compensation pick. Atlanta receives a C+ for 65 useful Chambers games and some downstream package value before his departure. Confidence is high because the transaction date, player production and subsequent transactions are consistently documented. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.