The Exchange
Basketball-Reference's Philadelphia, Atlanta and league transaction logs agree that the 76ers sent Jim Washington to the Hawks on November 19, 1971 for Bill Bridges. The swap is unusually easy to evaluate because both veterans were already established NBA forwards and both produced immediately for their new teams. The larger hindsight question is duration. Bridges had the stronger first-season statistical peak in Philadelphia, while Washington stayed in Atlanta for more than three seasons and gave the Hawks a much longer run of starting-level rebounding.
Atlanta Return
Washington became a durable Hawks frontcourt piece. After the trade he played 67 games in 1971-72, totaling 2,416 minutes while averaging 12.7 points and 9.0 rebounds. He followed with 75 games at 10.4 points and 10.7 rebounds in 1972-73, then 73 games at 10.0 points and 10.1 rebounds in 1973-74. He remained with Atlanta for 38 more games in 1974-75 before the Hawks traded him to Buffalo for a 1976 fifth-round pick later used on Connie White. White never appeared in an NBA game, so the downstream draft asset did not extend the chain. Washington's direct Hawks tenure is still substantial: 253 regular-season games after the trade, plus postseason appearances in 1972 and 1973.
Philadelphia Return
Bridges was outstanding immediately. In 64 games for Philadelphia in 1971-72, he started 62, played 2,210 minutes and averaged 13.2 points and 13.5 rebounds while shooting 50.9 percent. That is better single-season production than Washington delivered for Atlanta in the same year. Bridges returned for ten more 76ers games in 1972-73 before Philadelphia traded him and Mel Counts to the Lakers for LeRoy Ellis and John Trapp. The later deal matters, but it cannot be assigned wholly to Bridges because Counts was a separate outgoing asset. The source-backed grade therefore gives Bridges partial downstream credit rather than treating Ellis and Trapp as if they were acquired for him alone.
Hindsight Comparison
Philadelphia won the first-season production comparison, but Atlanta won the duration comparison by a wide margin. Bridges gave the 76ers 74 regular-season games across parts of two seasons; Washington gave the Hawks 253 after the swap and remained a double-digit rebounder through 1973-74. Washington's later fifth-round return did not become an NBA contributor, yet the long direct tenure is enough to outweigh Bridges's shorter Philadelphia run. The earlier legacy 76ers-win verdict therefore does not survive a team-value review. At the same time, Bridges's excellent 1971-72 season prevents this from being treated as a lopsided Atlanta steal.
Final Verdict
Hawks Win, A-/B. Atlanta receives an A- because Washington supplied more than three seasons of starting-level frontcourt value, 253 regular-season games after the trade and two playoff appearances, then still returned a draft asset. Philadelphia receives a B because Bridges immediately became a high-level rebounder and starter, but his 76ers tenure ended after 74 games and the later Ellis/Trapp return came from a two-player package. Confidence is high on the exchange and direct production, with medium-high confidence on the downstream comparison because Bridges shared the outgoing package with Mel Counts. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.