The Exchange
Basketball-Reference's Denver, Carolina and ABA transaction ledgers all agree on the January 10, 1974 trade: the Carolina Cougars sent Steve Jones to the Denver Rockets for Marv Roberts. No draft choice, cash payment or future consideration appears in the reviewed transaction record. The source-backed record therefore remains a direct two-player exchange. Both players were established ABA veterans, and both changed teams in the middle of the 1973-74 season, making the realized comparison unusually straightforward.
Steve Jones in Denver
Jones had played 44 games for Carolina before the deal, averaging 8.3 points in 21.3 minutes. His role expanded after arriving in Denver. He appeared in 42 Rockets games, averaging 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 27.5 minutes. Basketball-Reference credits him with 1,157 minutes and 575 points after the trade. His shooting improved enough to give Denver a credible secondary scorer during the second half of a season in which the Rockets finished 37-47 and lost the Western Division tiebreaker to San Diego.
Roberts in Carolina
Roberts had played 35 games for Denver before the exchange. With Carolina, he appeared in 39 games and averaged 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24.5 minutes. His 954 minutes and 401 points gave the Cougars useful frontcourt depth during a 47-37 season that ended in the Eastern Division playoffs. Roberts was more productive on the glass than Jones and had a stronger two-way profile for his position, so Carolina did not simply give away value to solve a roster need.
The Franchise Move and Roberts' Downstream Asset
After the 1973-74 season the Carolina franchise moved to St. Louis and became the Spirits. Roberts remained part of that franchise's asset base long enough to be traded on August 31, 1974 to the Kentucky Colonels for Al Eberhard. That gives Carolina/St. Louis a small downstream benefit beyond Roberts' 39 games. The reviewed 1974-75 Spirits transaction and roster records, however, show no Eberhard games for St. Louis. He later appeared in the NBA with Detroit, so the rights acquired for Roberts did not turn into direct Spirits production.
Jones' Denver Asset Ends After One Season
Jones did not remain with Denver beyond the 1973-74 season. Historical ABA franchise records note that the Spirits signed him as a free agent in October 1974, and Basketball-Reference shows 69 games for St. Louis in 1974-75. Because the move was a free-agent signing rather than a documented trade return to Denver, those later games cannot be credited to the Rockets. Denver's realized side therefore consists of the 42 games and 575 points Jones supplied immediately after the January exchange.
Why the Result Is Close
The raw post-trade gap is not large enough for an aggressive verdict. Jones gave Denver 42 games and more scoring, while Roberts gave Carolina 39 games, stronger rebounding and a later rights trade. Neither player became a long-term cornerstone for the acquiring club. The difference is that Denver received the more productive offensive half-season, and St. Louis' Roberts-to-Eberhard conversion produced no documented games from Eberhard. That supports only a modest Denver advantage rather than a decisive win.
Final Verdict
Slight Denver Edge, B-/C+. Denver receives a B- because Jones supplied 42 games, 575 points and a 13.7-point scoring average after the trade, giving the Rockets the stronger immediate offensive return. Carolina/St. Louis receives a C+ because Roberts played 39 useful games and later generated Al Eberhard's rights, but Eberhard never played for the Spirits. Confidence is high on the January trade and both players' 1973-74 production, with moderate uncertainty around the exact contractual path that later brought Jones to St. Louis. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.