On April 23, 1970, Chicago traded Clem Haskins to Phoenix for Jim Fox and a 1971 second-round pick that became Howard Porter at No. 32 overall. Phoenix received four productive seasons and 319 regular-season games from Haskins, including 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game in 1970-71. Chicago received 92 games from Fox and 110 from Porter, then used Fox in the November 1971 trade that brought Norm Van Lier back to the Bulls. Van Lier became a three-time All-Star during seven Chicago seasons. Phoenix won the direct player comparison, but Chicago's downstream return through Fox gives the Bulls the stronger long-term outcome.
On April 23, 1970, the Chicago Bulls traded Clem Haskins to the Phoenix Suns for center Jim Fox and a 1971 second-round draft pick. Basketball-Reference's Chicago, Phoenix and league transaction ledgers agree on the date and package. The pick became Villanova forward Howard Porter at No. 32 overall. The source-backed review also resolves the legacy 'Jim Fox / Sonny Fox' identity to NBA center Jim Fox, whose Basketball-Reference identifier is foxji01.
Haskins was the best immediate player in the transaction. He had just completed an 82-game Chicago season with 1,668 points and 624 assists. In Phoenix he played 82 games in 1970-71 and averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds. He followed with 79 games at 15.7 points in 1971-72, then remained with the Suns for 77 games in 1972-73 and 81 in 1973-74. That is 319 regular-season games across four Phoenix seasons. Haskins' role declined after his first two Suns seasons, but Phoenix still received sustained guard production rather than a short rental. Across his four years with the club he logged 8,620 minutes. That direct longevity is the strongest part of the Suns' case and makes the legacy Bulls-win language too simplistic if the evaluation stops at the first transaction.
Fox gave Chicago a useful first season. He played all 82 games in 1970-71, averaging 9.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 19.9 minutes. He appeared in 10 more Bulls games the following season before Chicago moved him on November 9, 1971. Porter, selected with the acquired second-round pick, played 67 games as a rookie and 43 more in 1972-73. His Chicago role was modest, at 6.0 points per game in his first season and 5.1 in his second, but the pick still produced 110 NBA appearances for the Bulls. Fox's later trade is what changes the hindsight comparison. Chicago sent Fox and a 1972 second-round pick to Cincinnati for Norm Van Lier and a 1972 third-round pick. Van Lier then played 535 regular-season games across seven Bulls seasons. During that Chicago tenure he made three All-Star teams, earned an All-NBA Second Team selection in 1973-74 and repeatedly appeared on the All-Defensive teams. The 1970 trade did not acquire Van Lier directly, and Chicago had to add another pick in 1971, so the full value of Van Lier cannot be credited to Phoenix's original assets. Fox nevertheless remained a meaningful component of the deal that brought him back.
If the trade is judged only by direct post-trade games, Phoenix has the stronger side: Haskins delivered 319 Suns games, while Fox and Porter combined for 202 Bulls games. Chicago's package becomes more valuable when the later disposition of Fox is traced. He was not simply lost; he helped form the package for Van Lier, who became a long-term Chicago point guard and one of the league's leading defensive guards of the era. Porter also supplied two seasons from a second-round selection. The later Van Lier exchange prevents a simple direct-production verdict. Chicago had to attach an additional second-round pick, and it also received a third-round pick, so Van Lier's entire seven-year Bulls career is not attributable to Fox alone. Even with that discount, Fox's retained trade value plus Porter's 110 games pushes Chicago's long-term realized package ahead of Phoenix's very good Haskins return.
Bulls Win, A-/B+. Chicago receives an A- for one useful Fox season, 110 games from the acquired draft pick and the important downstream role Fox played in the trade that brought Norm Van Lier back to Chicago. Phoenix receives a B+ for four productive Haskins seasons and 319 regular-season games, including two years of high-level scoring and playmaking. The gap is narrower than the legacy verdict suggested because Haskins clearly outperformed Fox and Porter on direct value. Confidence is high on the transaction, identities and player production, and medium-high on the final comparative grade because downstream value requires an attribution discount. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.