NBA Trade Verdict
Trail Blazers Win
Cleveland sold Lenny Wilkens' playing rights to Portland for cash, allowing Wilkens to finish his NBA playing career with the Trail Blazers.
October 7, 1974 Cleveland Cavaliers / Portland Trail Blazers Record confidence: Medium
Cleveland Cavaliers Received
- Cash cash
Portland Trail Blazers Received
- Draft Rights playing rights to Lenny Wilkens
Trade Analysis
Portland received the better realized basketball value. Wilkens played 65 games for the Trail Blazers in 1974-75 and averaged 6.5 points per game while serving as the team's player-coach, giving Portland a useful final season from a future Hall of Famer whose coaching role was already in place before the rights sale. Cleveland did receive cash for a player it no longer planned to use, but the amount is not preserved in the available record. That uncertainty keeps the grade moderate rather than elite, yet Portland still obtained the clearer on-court return.