Portland acquired Shaler Halimon from Chicago on October 20, 1970 for a 1971 second-round pick that became No. 20 selection Willie Sojourner. Halimon immediately played 79 games for the expansion Trail Blazers, averaging 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 20.6 minutes. Chicago correctly converted the pick into Sojourner, but he chose the ABA and never appeared in an NBA game; his four-year pro career came outside the Bulls. Portland waived Halimon the following summer, so the payoff was only one season, but that season still gives the Trail Blazers the documented edge.
Chicago and Portland's transaction logs agree that the Bulls sent Shaler Halimon to the Trail Blazers on October 20, 1970 for a 1971 second-round draft choice. Basketball-Reference and Pro Sports Transactions both trace that pick to No. 20 overall, where Chicago selected Weber State center Willie Sojourner. This is a resolved draft chain: the pick year, round, slot and player outcome are all known.
Halimon became a regular immediately for the first-year Trail Blazers. He appeared in 79 Portland games, averaging 20.6 minutes, 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. For an expansion roster, that is meaningful one-season utility rather than a cameo. Portland did not retain the value beyond that year, however. The club placed Halimon on waivers in July 1971 and Atlanta claimed him, so the transaction produced one full season but no later trade return for the Blazers.
Chicago's pick became Sojourner, a productive Weber State rebounder selected 20th overall in the 1971 NBA Draft. The pick was real and reasonably valuable, but it never turned into Bulls production. Basketball-Reference lists no NBA games for Sojourner; he instead began his professional career in the ABA with the Virginia Squires and ultimately played 309 ABA games. His talent therefore was not the issue. The hindsight problem for Chicago is that the draft asset did not create NBA minutes, points or a later NBA transaction return for the Bulls.
Portland received exactly one useful season. Halimon was neither a star nor a long-term building block, and the Blazers waived him before year two. Chicago received an exact second-round outcome with legitimate professional ability, but none of that ability was realized for the Bulls because Sojourner played in the ABA. Under a team-realized-value standard, 79 NBA games and a regular rotation role beat a draft selection that never suited up for the acquiring franchise. The margin is clear, though the short duration of Halimon's stay keeps Portland's grade modest.
Trail Blazers Win, B-/D+. Portland receives a B- for getting 79 games of useful rotation play from Halimon during its expansion season. Chicago receives a D+ because the No. 20 pick was successfully traced and used on a capable player, but Sojourner never produced NBA value for the Bulls. Confidence is high because the trade, exact draft outcome and post-trade playing records are all well documented. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.