Denver acquired Keith Edmonson from San Antonio on January 21, 1984 for a 1984 third-round pick that became No. 57 Joe Binion. Edmonson's Nuggets tenure was brief: 15 games, 101 minutes and 64 points over the rest of the 1983-84 season. San Antonio selected Binion but never received an NBA regular-season game from him; he spent the next two seasons in the CBA and eventually made his NBA debut with Portland in 1986-87. The stakes were small on both sides, but Denver at least received direct NBA minutes, giving the Nuggets a narrow realized-value edge.
Basketball-Reference records the January 21, 1984 exchange as Keith Edmonson from San Antonio to Denver for the Nuggets' 1984 third-round pick. The pick eventually became No. 57 Joe Binion. Neither branch developed into a lasting franchise piece, so this trade is best judged on modest direct production rather than name value or hypothetical upside.
Edmonson had appeared in 40 games for San Antonio earlier in 1983-84. After the trade, his Denver role was much smaller. He played 15 games for the Nuggets, all off the bench, and logged 101 minutes. Basketball-Reference credits him with 64 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists while shooting 48.9 percent from the field. Edmonson averaged only 6.7 minutes per game, but he did provide actual regular-season depth during a Denver season that ended with a playoff berth. Those 15 games were the end of his NBA career. He did not return to the league after 1983-84.
The Spurs kept the third-round selection and used it at No. 57 in the 1984 NBA Draft on North Carolina A&T forward Joe Binion. Binion did not play for San Antonio. Basketball-Reference lists him as spending 1984-85 and 1985-86 outside the NBA in the CBA. His NBA debut did not come until February 1987, when he appeared in 11 games for Portland. Those 11 games and 51 minutes belong to the Trail Blazers, not to San Antonio's return from this trade. The Spurs therefore received zero NBA regular-season games from the pick.
This is a low-impact result. Denver received only 101 minutes from Edmonson, so the trade cannot earn a strong grade. San Antonio's pick did identify a player who eventually reached the NBA, but the Spurs never received a game from him. Realized franchise value therefore favors Denver simply because Edmonson actually appeared for the Nuggets.
Slight Nuggets Edge, C-/D. Denver earns a C- for getting 15 games and 101 minutes from Edmonson at the cost of a third-round pick. San Antonio receives a D because No. 57 Joe Binion never appeared in a Spurs regular-season game. Confidence is high because the trade, Edmonson's Denver totals, Binion's draft slot and his later Portland debut are all documented in primary statistical records.