Dallas Bought Two Full Starting Seasons
Basketball-Reference's Dallas and Milwaukee transaction records identify the June 28, 1982 deal as Pat Cummings to the Mavericks for the No. 27 pick in the 1982 draft.
Dallas used Cummings as a major frontcourt piece immediately. He played 81 regular-season games in 1982-83, started 71 and averaged 12.5 points and 8.2 rebounds.
He returned for all 80 games he played in 1983-84 and started every one. Cummings averaged 13.1 points and 8.2 rebounds while Dallas reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
That gives the Mavericks 161 regular-season games and 151 starts from the acquisition across two seasons.
Milwaukee Used the Pick on Fred Roberts
The Bucks selected BYU forward Fred Roberts at No. 27.
Roberts ultimately had a long NBA career, but Milwaukee did not receive that career. Basketball-Reference lists 1982-83 as a season in which Roberts played in Italy, and his NBA debut came the following year with San Antonio.
He never appeared in a regular-season game for the Bucks.
That distinction matters for a franchise-specific trade grade. Drafting a player who later becomes useful elsewhere is not the same as receiving that value.
Dallas Got the Production It Needed
Cummings was not merely a bench piece. He started 151 games in two seasons, averaged double-figure scoring both years and provided durable frontcourt minutes during the Mavericks' transition from expansion team to playoff club.
The timing adds weight to the return. Dallas was building around Rolando Blackman, Mark Aguirre and Derek Harper, and Cummings supplied stability while that young core matured.
Milwaukee's branch produced no direct basketball return before Roberts' NBA career began elsewhere.
Why Dallas Wins Clearly
The Bucks can receive some scouting credit because Roberts became a legitimate NBA player, eventually lasting 13 seasons. That career, however, was realized by San Antonio, Utah, Boston and other teams, not Milwaukee.
Dallas received 161 games, 151 starts and two full seasons of dependable production. Milwaukee received zero regular-season games from the player selected with the pick.
Final Verdict
Mavericks Win, A-/F. Dallas receives an A- because a late first/early second-round-level asset turned into two full starting seasons and immediate playoff-era value. Milwaukee receives an F because Roberts never played an NBA game for the Bucks, regardless of the respectable career he later had elsewhere.