The Exchange
Pro Sports Transactions records the core agreement on March 12, 1972: Boston sent Charlie Scott's NBA rights to Phoenix for cash and future considerations, later fulfilled by Paul Silas. Basketball-Reference dates the rights transaction March 14 and says Silas agreed to terms with Boston in September; the Phoenix media guide lists Silas as sent on September 19, while the legacy Boston source record uses September 18. The exact day varies across otherwise consistent transaction ledgers, so the canonical March 12 date is preserved with the discrepancy documented rather than silently rewritten. The basketball substance is clear: Phoenix obtained Scott's rights, Boston eventually received Silas plus cash, and the cash amount is not identified.
Boston Return
Silas gave Boston four high-value seasons. From 1972-73 through 1975-76 he played 325 regular-season games, including 80 or more in every season, and became one of the league's strongest rebounding forwards. He made the 1975 All-Star team, earned All-Defensive Second Team recognition in 1973 and First Team honors in both 1975 and 1976. The championship value is especially important. Boston won the 1974 and 1976 NBA Finals with Silas in the rotation, and he appeared in 60 postseason games across his four Celtics seasons. His role was not decorative: his rebounding and defensive work complemented Dave Cowens and gave the Celtics a durable frontcourt piece through two title runs. When Boston moved Silas in October 1976, the three-team transaction brought Curtis Rowe to the Celtics. Rowe then supplied 183 more regular-season games over three Boston seasons, so Silas also retained some traceable downstream value after the championship years.
Phoenix Return
Scott's Phoenix value was also immediate and substantial. After leaving the ABA he played six late-season games for the Suns in 1971-72, then became a three-time NBA All-Star for Phoenix from 1972-73 through 1974-75. Across those four partial or full Phoenix seasons he appeared in 208 regular-season games and averaged more than 24 points in each of the final three. The rights therefore became a genuine star rather than a speculative asset. Phoenix then preserved that value instead of losing Scott for nothing.
On May 23, 1975 the Suns traded Scott to Boston for Paul Westphal plus Boston's 1975 and 1976 second-round picks. The picks became Jimmy Dan Conner and Butch Feher, but Westphal is the central downstream return. Westphal played five full Phoenix seasons from 1975-76 through 1979-80, appearing in 406 regular-season games, helping the Suns reach the 1976 NBA Finals and making four consecutive All-Star teams from 1977 through 1980. He also earned four straight All-NBA selections, including three First Team honors. Phoenix then traded Westphal to Seattle on June 4, 1980 for Dennis Johnson. That conversion extends the Scott-rights chain well beyond Scott's own scoring peak and makes the original acquisition one of the more productive rights transactions of the era.
Hindsight Comparison
Calling the trade even understates how well both organizations converted the assets. Boston received the more championship-specific direct return: Silas was a core rebounding and defensive contributor on two title teams, played 325 regular-season games and 60 playoff games, then still returned Curtis Rowe in a later three-team trade. Phoenix received the more expansive star-value chain. Scott was a three-time Suns All-Star, then became Westphal and two picks; Westphal produced five high-level seasons, four All-Star selections, four All-NBA selections and a Finals run before becoming Dennis Johnson. Because downstream credit is shared with the later packages rather than assigned entirely to Scott, the margin should remain narrow. Phoenix does not erase Boston's two championships, but the Scott-to-Westphal-to-Johnson path adds enough durable value to move the verdict beyond a pure tie.
Final Verdict
Slight Suns Edge, A+/A. Phoenix receives an A+ for turning Scott's rights into three All-Star seasons from Scott, then Westphal, two second-round picks and eventually Dennis Johnson. Boston receives an A because Silas gave the Celtics four durable seasons, elite rebounding and defense, an All-Star appearance, three All-Defensive selections and major minutes on the 1974 and 1976 championship teams, with Curtis Rowe arriving downstream. Confidence is high on the player identities, production and later trade chains. The only meaningful source uncertainty is the exact transaction date: Pro Sports Transactions uses March 12 and September 18, while Basketball-Reference and Phoenix media guides use March 14 and September 19 for the two stages.