Smrek Rights for Two Sets of Rights
One day after the Gene Banks transaction, Chicago made a different kind of move: it acquired draft rights to Mike Smrek from Portland. The Trail Blazers received the rights to Ben Coleman and Ken Johnson. None of these outgoing assets was a cash payment or a completed trade of a signed star; the central questions concerned how each franchise could turn draft rights into usable players. Keeping the two June Bulls transactions separate is essential because their returns and participating teams were entirely different.
Chicago Consolidated, Portland Diversified
Chicago converted two rights positions into one targeted player right, Smrek. Portland took back rights to Coleman and Johnson, giving it two separate potential player avenues rather than a single comparable selection. The number of names by itself doesn't establish a winner. The valuation must follow the actual players attached to the rights rather than assign an automatic edge to Portland for acquiring two rights while Chicago received one. The source record specifically identifies all three players, allowing the two pathways to be compared without speculative substitutions.
An Even Assessment Reflects Limited Differences
Neither side's package is described in the retained verdict as producing an overwhelming basketball advantage. A third team wasn't involved, and no additional future pick needs to be invented to complete the asset chain. Chicago's outcome is tied to Mike Smrek, while Portland's is tied to the rights to Ben Coleman and Ken Johnson. That bounded comparison also guards against double counting production a player might have supplied elsewhere after his rights changed hands.
Final Verdict
Even Trade. Both Chicago and Portland receive C+. The Bulls exchanged two sets of draft rights for those of Mike Smrek, and the Trail Blazers accepted Coleman and Johnson's rights instead. With a similarly limited realized return in this comparison, a forced directional winner would exaggerate a narrow historical rights trade.