Chicago acquired Scott Lloyd from the San Diego Clippers on October 26, 1978 for a 1981 third-round pick. Lloyd played 67 games for the Bulls that season, totaling 465 minutes and averaging 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds. San Diego later sent the incoming pick, along with a 1983 third-rounder, to Phoenix as compensation for signing Gar Heard. Heard played 78 games and 1,631 minutes for the Clippers in 1980-81. Phoenix ultimately used the 1981 pick at No. 62 on Sam Clancy, who never played an NBA regular-season game. Because the Clippers' downstream return required another pick and Chicago received only limited reserve production, the retrospective result is effectively even.
The Bulls acquired Scott Lloyd on October 26, 1978 after he had appeared in five games for San Diego. Lloyd played 67 games for Chicago in 1978-79. He logged 465 minutes and averaged 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.9 minutes per game. That is real NBA production, but it is modest. Lloyd did not stay with Chicago beyond the season, spending 1979-80 outside the NBA before later returning with Dallas.
The 1981 third-rounder has a more interesting route than the original record suggests. San Diego did not use the pick directly. In connection with signing veteran free agent Gar Heard, the Clippers sent this 1981 third-round pick plus a 1983 third-round pick to Phoenix as compensation. That means the No. 62 Sam Clancy outcome belongs to Phoenix, not directly to San Diego. This review preserves the final draft result for traceability but does not treat Clancy as the Clippers' realized player return.
Heard played 78 games for San Diego in 1980-81 and logged 1,631 minutes. He averaged 4.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 20.9 minutes. The original Chicago pick was one component of the compensation package that helped San Diego secure Heard. Because another 1983 third-round pick was also sent to Phoenix, the full value of Heard cannot be assigned to this 1978 trade branch alone. Still, the pick retained practical transaction value for more than two years after the Lloyd trade. That downstream use keeps the Clippers side from being graded as an empty return.
Phoenix used the selection on Sam Clancy in the 1981 draft. Basketball-Reference lists Clancy at No. 62 but no NBA regular-season games. That final draft outcome is useful for identifying the asset, but it should not be used to erase the value San Diego extracted earlier by moving the pick in the Heard compensation package.
Chicago got the cleaner direct return: 67 games from Lloyd. The Clippers got no direct drafted player, but they preserved the pick as a movable asset and later used it as one piece of the compensation required to add Heard. Neither branch created large long-term value. Lloyd was a low-minute reserve for one season, while Heard's larger 78-game contribution cannot be fully credited to this pick because San Diego also surrendered another third-rounder. The best retrospective treatment is therefore an even result rather than forcing a winner from two modest branches.
Even Trade, C-/C-. Chicago receives a C- for 67 Lloyd games and 465 minutes. San Diego also receives a C- because the third-round pick retained downstream utility as part of the Gar Heard compensation package, even though the pick itself ultimately became Sam Clancy at No. 62 and produced no NBA games.