San Diego Won the Immediate Production Exchange
Basketball-Reference's Atlanta, San Diego and league transaction ledgers agree on the January 20, 1982 package. Atlanta sent Charlie Criss and Al Wood to the Clippers for Freeman Williams.
On direct post-trade production alone, the deal favors San Diego. Williams played 23 regular-season games for Atlanta, all off the bench, and averaged 4.8 points in only 8.2 minutes.
Criss immediately became San Diego's starting point guard for much of the remainder of the season. He played 28 games for the Clippers, started 20 and averaged 12.9 points and 4.0 assists in 30.0 minutes.
Wood Gave the Clippers a Longer Return
Al Wood played 29 games for San Diego after the trade in 1981-82 and made five starts. He averaged 12.5 points while shooting 51.8 percent from the field.
His role grew substantially in 1982-83. Wood appeared in 76 games, started 47 and averaged 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
That gives San Diego 105 regular-season games and 52 starts from Wood, plus 28 games and 20 starts from Criss. Combined, the two incoming players produced 133 Clippers games and 72 starts.
Criss left after the season and signed with Milwaukee. Wood remained one more year before becoming part of a larger transaction.
Wood Later Carried Additional Trade Utility
On August 18, 1983, San Diego included Wood with Tom Chambers, a 1984 third-round pick and a 1987 second-round pick in the multi-asset trade with Seattle that brought James Donaldson, Greg Kelser, Mark Radford, a 1984 first-round pick and a 1985 second-round pick to the Clippers.
That gives Wood additional downstream value, but this review does not assign the full Seattle package to him. Chambers and the draft assets were substantial pieces of the same transaction.
Williams' Atlanta Tenure Was Short but Strategically Important
Williams' direct Hawks production was minimal. He played only 23 games, made no starts and never returned for another Atlanta regular-season appearance.
The importance comes from what Atlanta did next. On September 2, 1982, the Hawks traded John Drew and Williams to Utah for the draft rights to Dominique Wilkins.
Wilkins became one of the defining players in franchise history, eventually playing 882 regular-season games for the Hawks and becoming the franchise's career leader in games played. He was a nine-time All-Star overall, won the 1985-86 scoring title and later entered the Hall of Fame.
This review does not credit the entire Wilkins career to Williams because John Drew was the other major asset in the Utah package. Williams should instead receive strong transaction-utility credit for being one required component of a franchise-altering acquisition.
Why Atlanta Gets the Hindsight Edge
San Diego clearly received more direct value from the January trade. Criss and Wood combined for 133 games and 72 starts, while Williams gave Atlanta only 23 reserve appearances.
The downstream branches change the comparison. Wood later helped San Diego in the Chambers trade, but Williams was part of the package that brought Wilkins to Atlanta. Even with conservative shared-credit treatment, participating in that acquisition carries more long-term franchise consequence than the original 23-game stint suggests.
Final Verdict
Hawks Edge, A-/B+. Atlanta receives an A- because Williams' direct contribution was small but his later use in the Dominique Wilkins trade created exceptional transaction utility. San Diego receives a B+ because Criss and Wood supplied 133 games and 72 starts, and Wood retained later trade value. The margin is not wide enough to treat Wilkins' full career as Williams-only value, but the downstream Atlanta outcome is still the most consequential branch.