Atlanta Took Chris Washburn, Golden State Received Foreign Rights
The Hawks acquired center Chris Washburn from Golden State in December 1987 while the Warriors received rights to forward Ken Barlow. Washburn had been a high draft selection whose professional progress was already uncertain, making this a gamble on a second opportunity rather than a conventional exchange of two established starters. Barlow's rights were a different kind of asset: Golden State gained the ability to negotiate with an internationally based prospect without receiving an immediately signed NBA rotation player. Atlanta wanted a physically talented center to evaluate within its existing roster.
Washburn's Potential Didn't Translate Into a Sustained Hawks Role
Washburn's athletic and physical qualities had once made him an attractive prospect, but acquiring those traits didn't restore the status or playing record attached to his original draft position. The Hawks could examine him in their system, yet his NBA contribution after the exchange was limited and did not turn into a long-standing frontcourt role. That short receiving-team tenure is decisive to the retrospective. Golden State's unsuccessful earlier investment in him was already a sunk cost; Atlanta wasn't acquiring all the games and development resources previously spent on the big man.
Barlow Was a Rights Asset Rather Than Instant Production
The Warriors received rights to Ken Barlow, who had played outside the NBA and had a professional career that could not automatically be assigned to Golden State. A right to approach or sign someone is useful, but it isn't the same as several years of an NBA contract. Golden State could preserve the option or later move the asset while it continued rebuilding its frontcourt. The exact eventual use of those rights would require following subsequent transactions; the original exchange alone does not establish that Barlow ever supplied Golden State with regular-season minutes.
A Small Warriors Edge Reflects a Better Risk Position
Atlanta absorbed the uncertainty tied to Washburn's attempted NBA revival, while Golden State converted a distressed player situation into an additional rights claim. Neither outcome amounted to acquiring a lasting star, so an extreme winning grade would overstate the impact. Still, the Warriors' lighter obligation and potential to use Barlow's rights make their side marginally more defensible. Atlanta gained a chance to restart an athletic prospect, but it didn't create a durable frontcourt solution. This trade illustrates how an asset can have modest optional value even if neither received player becomes a major on-court contributor.
Final Verdict
Slight Warriors Edge. Golden State earns C for receiving Ken Barlow's rights after moving on from Chris Washburn. Atlanta gets C- for a center reclamation attempt that did not become a substantial Hawks rotation role. Barlow's overseas career is not Warriors NBA production, and Washburn's original draft reputation was not a guaranteed Atlanta return.