Cleveland acquired Elmore Smith and Gary Brokaw from Milwaukee on January 13, 1977 for Rowland Garrett plus the Cavaliers' 1977 and 1978 first-round picks. Smith became the centerpiece of Cleveland's return, playing 141 regular-season games across three seasons and averaging 10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for the Cavaliers. Brokaw added 39 games before Cleveland moved him for future considerations. Milwaukee received only 33 games from Garrett, but the two first-rounders became Ernie Grunfeld at No. 11 in 1977 and George Johnson at No. 12 in 1978. Grunfeld played 155 games for Milwaukee over two seasons before being traded, while Johnson added 67 games as a rookie before the Bucks sold his rights. The two useful first-round outcomes give Milwaukee the stronger realized package, but Smith's multi-year Cleveland production keeps the gap moderate.
Basketball-Reference's Cleveland, Milwaukee and league transaction ledgers all record the January 13, 1977 exchange the same way. Cleveland sent Rowland Garrett plus its 1977 and 1978 first-round picks to Milwaukee for Gary Brokaw and Elmore Smith. The first-round picks later became No. 11 Ernie Grunfeld in 1977 and No. 12 George Johnson in 1978.
Smith was the strongest direct asset Cleveland received. He played 36 games for the Cavaliers after the trade in 1976-77, averaging 8.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. He followed with 81 games in 1977-78 at 12.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, then appeared in 24 more games in 1978-79. Across his Cleveland tenure he played 141 regular-season games and averaged 10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
Brokaw played 39 games for Cleveland after the deal, averaging 7.2 points and 3.0 assists. The Cavaliers traded him to Buffalo for future considerations in October 1977. Because the primary ledgers do not identify a concrete later player or pick emerging from those future considerations, this review credits Cleveland for Brokaw's 39 games and acknowledges the subsequent transaction without inventing a downstream asset.
Garrett played 33 games for the Bucks after the trade, averaging 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds. The 1976-77 season was his final NBA season. His direct value therefore does little to separate the packages, which puts most of Milwaukee's case on the two first-round picks.
Milwaukee used the No. 11 pick in 1977 on Ernie Grunfeld. He played 73 games as a rookie and all 82 in 1978-79, improving from 6.9 to 10.3 points per game. After 155 Milwaukee games, the Bucks traded Grunfeld and a 1980 second-round pick to Kansas City for Richard Washington in October 1979. This review credits Grunfeld's direct Milwaukee service and notes that he retained transaction value, without assigning the entire later Washington return to him because Milwaukee also sent a pick.
The 1978 first-rounder became George Johnson at No. 12. Johnson played 67 games for Milwaukee as a rookie, averaging 6.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. The Bucks sold his player rights to Denver in October 1979. That gives Milwaukee another season of direct production plus a later transactional return, although the financial amount is not specified in the primary source used here.
Bucks Win, B+/B-. Milwaukee receives a B+ because two first-round picks became legitimate NBA rotation players who combined for 222 Bucks games, with Grunfeld also retaining later trade value. Cleveland receives a B- because Smith was a productive three-year center and Brokaw added a short guard stint, so the Cavaliers did receive meaningful basketball value. The difference comes from Milwaukee turning both premium picks into useful players while Garrett's limited tenure did not undermine the package. Confidence is high on the trade structure, draft outcomes and direct player production.