Denver acquired the player rights to Fatty Taylor from Philadelphia on August 5, 1976 for a 1977 second-round pick that became No. 43 Herm Harris. The deal gave Denver an immediate rotation guard for its first NBA season. Taylor played 79 regular-season games in 1976-77, averaging 3.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals in 19.6 minutes while appearing in all but three games for a 50-win Nuggets team. Philadelphia used the pick on Harris, but he never appeared in an NBA regular-season game. Taylor was waived by Denver in October 1977, so the Nuggets did not receive a multi-year asset, yet one full season of usable backcourt minutes clearly outweighs a draft selection that produced no NBA games. The source-backed verdict remains a Denver win.
Basketball-Reference's Denver and Philadelphia transaction ledgers agree that the Nuggets sent a 1977 second-round pick to the 76ers for Fatty Taylor on August 5, 1976. Carl Scheer's executive record confirms the same exchange, and Denver's own media guide lists Taylor as an August 5 acquisition for the pick that became Herm Harris. Pro Sports Transactions independently traces the selection to No. 43 in the 1977 draft.
Taylor played 79 regular-season games for Denver in 1976-77 and averaged 19.6 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals. He was no longer the high-usage ABA guard he had been earlier in the decade, but he still gave the Nuggets a steady defensive and ball-handling option throughout their first NBA season. Denver finished 50-32 and first in the Midwest Division, and Taylor was available almost every night.
Taylor appeared in only one playoff game and logged a single minute, so this review does not inflate his value by treating him as an important postseason piece. The trade's Denver case rests on the 79-game regular-season body of work. That distinction matters because the acquisition was useful without being transformative. Denver still received a full regular-season rotation player for the price of one future second-round selection. Taylor filled a role for one season, then Denver waived him in October 1977.
The 76ers used the acquired second-round pick on Herm Harris, a 6-foot-5 forward from Arizona, with the 43rd overall selection in the 1977 NBA draft. Basketball-Reference's draft page lists no NBA seasons or games for Harris. In a realized-value model, the pick therefore produced no NBA on-court return for Philadelphia. The draft choice still had legitimate option value when acquired, but hindsight grading must reflect what actually materialized in NBA competition.
Secondary transaction records often describe Denver as acquiring Taylor's draft rights because Philadelphia had originally selected him in the 12th round of the 1969 NBA draft even though he built his career in the ABA. RealGM and Denver's historical records both preserve that rights-based framing. Taylor then signed with Denver on the same August 5 date and entered the Nuggets' 1976-77 roster, so the practical outcome is straightforward: Denver converted the rights into an active player immediately.
Nuggets Win, B/D+. Denver receives a B because one second-round pick produced 79 games of dependable rotation play during a 50-win season, including useful passing and steal production, even though Taylor lasted only one NBA season with the club and barely played in the postseason. Philadelphia receives a D+ because the pick became Herm Harris at No. 43 and Harris never played an NBA regular-season game. Confidence is high on the transaction structure, Taylor's Denver production and the draft outcome. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.