The September 4 Package
Basketball-Reference's Denver, Virginia and ABA league transaction ledgers all agree on the September 4, 1974 structure. Denver sent rookie guard Darrell Elston and a first-round draft choice to the Virginia Squires for veteran point guard Fatty Taylor. Carl Scheer's executive transaction record independently preserves the same package. The first-rounder is important because the 1975 ABA draft record identifies Virginia's No. 10 selection of Mel Bennett as coming from Denver. This is therefore a three-asset trade for hindsight purposes, not merely Taylor for Elston.
Taylor Immediately Helps a 65-Win Denver Team
Taylor gave Denver exactly the kind of veteran guard depth the new Larry Brown group could use. He appeared in 76 regular-season games in 1974-75 and averaged 8.4 points, 4.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 26.6 minutes. Denver's depth chart places him behind Mack Calvin at point guard but still credits Taylor with 2,018 minutes, the sixth-highest total on the roster. The Nuggets went 65-19, won the ABA Western Division and reached the Western Division Finals. Taylor also appeared in all 13 playoff games, so the acquisition produced immediate value on a contender rather than only regular-season depth.
Virginia Gets a Full Season from Darrell Elston
Elston was not a throw-in. The 22-year-old guard played 72 games for Virginia in 1974-75 and averaged 26.0 minutes, 8.3 points, 2.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds. The Squires were one of the ABA's weakest teams, but trade grading should separate a player's realized contribution from the club's overall record. Elston logged 1,869 minutes and became a regular part of Virginia's backcourt. His ABA tenure did not extend into 1975-76, limiting that branch to one season, but it was still a meaningful first half of the return.
The Pick Becomes Mel Bennett
Virginia's second asset matured a year later. The 1975 ABA draft record lists Bennett as the No. 10 overall selection by the Squires from Denver. Virginia signed him in June 1975, and he became a substantial frontcourt contributor immediately. Bennett played 75 games in 1975-76 and averaged 12.1 points and 7.0 rebounds in 29.2 minutes. The depth chart credits him with more than 2,100 minutes at power forward. That production matters because it means the first-round pick was not theoretical value; the Squires turned it into one of their more heavily used players in the franchise's final season.
Denver Extends Taylor's Value Once
Denver did preserve some downstream value when it moved Taylor back to Virginia on October 21, 1975 for Chuck Williams. Williams later appeared in 21 games for Denver in 1976-77 before the Nuggets included him with Gus Gerard in the December trade for Jim Price. Because Gerard was also part of that later package, Price's full value cannot fairly be assigned to the original Taylor acquisition. The direct Taylor-for-Williams step is still legitimate downstream value and keeps Denver's side above an ordinary one-season rental. Taylor's return to Denver in August 1976 does not extend this chain because Denver paid Philadelphia a new 1977 second-round pick to reacquire him.
Why Virginia Holds the Hindsight Edge
Denver's side worked. Taylor was a regular guard on a 65-win team and participated in a deep playoff run, then returned another veteran guard when Denver traded him away. The difference is volume. Virginia received 72 games from Elston and then 75 games from Bennett, with Bennett carrying a larger scoring and rebounding role than either Elston or Taylor. The Squires' financial and franchise collapse after 1975-76 prevented a longer asset chain, but that does not erase the production already realized from the Denver pick.
Final Verdict
Squires Win, A-/B+. Virginia receives an A- because Elston supplied a full 72-game season and the acquired first-round pick became Bennett, who delivered 75 games of 12.1-point, 7.0-rebound production. Denver receives a B+ because Taylor gave the Nuggets 76 games, meaningful minutes on a 65-win contender and 13 playoff appearances, then was converted into Chuck Williams. Both clubs received useful value, but Virginia realized two substantial player-seasons from the package. Confidence is high on the transaction date, the No. 10 Bennett pick and the player outcomes. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.