The Primary Ledgers Agree on an October 12 Rights Sale
Basketball-Reference's Portland, Boston and NBA transaction pages all record the same October 12, 1976 move: Portland sold the player rights to Sidney Wicks to the Celtics. Harry Glickman's Portland executive record and Red Auerbach's Boston record independently preserve that structure. This review therefore treats the transaction as Wicks's rights for cash and does not repeat the false October 5 Portland-New Orleans record that has now been superseded. The cash amount is not identified in the reviewed ledgers.
Wicks Immediately Became a Major Boston Frontcourt Piece
Wicks played all 82 regular-season games for Boston in 1976-77 and logged 2,642 minutes. He averaged 15.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 32.2 minutes per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field. That was not fringe production from an aging name. Wicks was one of Boston's highest-minute frontcourt players and delivered a full season of double-figure scoring and double-figure rebounding after the cash acquisition.
The First Season Also Carried Into the Playoffs
Boston reached the 1977 postseason and Wicks appeared in all nine playoff games. He averaged 29.0 minutes, 13.1 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 51.9 percent from the field. The Celtics beat San Antonio in the opening round before losing a seven-game conference semifinal to Philadelphia. Wicks's role therefore survived into the postseason rather than disappearing when the rotation tightened.
The Value Continued for a Second Full Season
Wicks remained a substantial part of Boston's 1977-78 team even as the Celtics fell out of the playoffs. He played 81 games and another 2,413 minutes, averaging 13.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29.8 minutes. Across the two Boston seasons, the rights purchase produced 163 regular-season games, 5,055 minutes, 2,321 points and 1,497 rebounds. That volume is enough to make the acquisition materially better than a short-term cash flier.
Wicks Still Had Trade Utility in the 1978 Blockbuster
On August 4, 1978, Boston sent Wicks, Kevin Kunnert, Kermit Washington and Freeman Williams to the San Diego Clippers for Tiny Archibald, Marvin Barnes, Billy Knight and two future second-round picks. Wicks was only one component of that multi-player package, so this review does not assign the entire later return to him. His inclusion still shows that Boston retained transaction value after already receiving two full seasons of production from the original cash purchase.
Portland's Cash Return Is Real but Cannot Be Priced
Portland moved on from a player who had spent five seasons with the franchise and received cash in return. That financial consideration has legitimate value, particularly as the Trail Blazers reshaped the roster that would win the 1977 championship. The problem is that the amount is not disclosed in the reviewed source set and there is no separate incoming player or draft asset to trace. This review therefore gives Portland credit for the sale without pretending an unknown cash figure can be measured against Wicks's documented Boston production.
Final Verdict
Celtics Win, B+/C. Boston receives a B+ because Wicks produced 163 regular-season games, more than 5,000 minutes, two productive frontcourt seasons and nine playoff appearances before remaining part of a major 1978 trade package. Portland receives a C because the Trail Blazers obtained cash and cleared Wicks from the roster before their championship season, but the amount is unknown and there is no traceable basketball asset to measure against Boston's return. Confidence is high on the transaction structure and Wicks's production, with only the cash valuation unquantified.