Washington Got Two Starting Seasons From Ricky Sobers
The January 24, 1983 veteran-free-agent transaction is clear across the league and team ledgers. Washington signed Ricky Sobers after Chicago declined its right of first refusal, and the Bullets sent the Bulls second-round picks in 1983 and 1985 as compensation.
Those picks ultimately landed at No. 25 in 1983 and No. 35 in 1985. Their downstream paths are important because Chicago did not simply keep the players eventually selected with both choices.
Sobers Started 120 Games for Washington
Sobers joined Washington midway through 1982-83 and immediately stepped into the starting lineup. He played 41 games that season, started 39 and averaged 15.7 points, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 35.1 minutes.
He returned in 1983-84 and started all 81 games he played. Sobers again averaged 15.6 points, along with 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals.
That gives Washington 122 regular-season games and 120 starts across two seasons, with 1,911 points and 595 assists. He left for Seattle in 1984-85, so later production is not credited to the Bullets.
Chicago Used the First Pick on Sidney Lowe, Then Traded Him
The 1983 compensation pick became No. 25 Sidney Lowe. Chicago drafted Lowe but traded him on draft day with a 1984 second-round pick to Indiana for Mitchell Wiggins.
Wiggins played all 82 games for the Bulls in 1983-84, started 40 and averaged 12.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Those 82 Chicago games are a real downstream return from the Lowe branch.
This review does not assign all of Wiggins to the Sobers compensation pick, however, because Chicago also included a separate 1984 second-round pick in the deal.
The Second Pick Helped Bring Caldwell Jones
Chicago retained the 1985 second-round compensation asset until August 10, 1984. The Bulls then sent Wiggins, that pick and a 1985 third-round pick to Houston for Caldwell Jones.
The No. 35 pick continued through Houston and San Antonio before the Spurs eventually selected Tyrone Corbin. Corbin never played for Chicago, so his later NBA career is not a Bulls return from this transaction.
The pick clearly retained trade utility, but this review again avoids assigning the entire Caldwell Jones return to one asset because Wiggins and another pick were also required.
Why Washington Wins
Chicago did good asset work with both second-rounders. The 1983 pick helped produce a full 82-game season from Wiggins, while the 1985 pick later contributed to another trade package.
Washington still received the stronger cleanly attributable basketball result: 122 games, 120 starts and two seasons of 15-plus-point scoring from Sobers. Chicago's downstream value was meaningful but shared with other outgoing assets at each conversion point.
Final Verdict
Bullets Win, A-/B. Washington receives an A- for two starting seasons and 122 games from Sobers. Chicago receives a B because both compensation picks retained useful transaction value and the Lowe branch helped bring Wiggins, but the Bulls cannot be credited with every later multi-asset return or with Corbin's Spurs career.