The Sources Disagree on Which Franchise Sent Lamar to Los Angeles
this review has an important source conflict. Basketball-Reference's 1976-77 NBA and Lakers transaction ledgers say the Indiana Pacers traded Bo Lamar to Los Angeles for future considerations on October 20, 1976. Bill Sharman's executive record repeats Indiana. Official Lakers media guides, however, state that Los Angeles acquired Dwight "Bo" Lamar from Detroit for future consideration, and the 1978 draft-pick transaction chain ties Detroit to the Lakers' future second-round selection. Because the canonical record represents the Detroit rights transaction, this review keeps that record but explicitly preserves the disagreement rather than pretending every source says the same thing.
The Future Consideration Became the No. 38 Pick
The historical 1978 draft-pick chain identifies the consideration as the Lakers' second-round pick, eventually No. 38. Pro Sports Transactions cites contemporary draft reporting that the choice originally belonged to Los Angeles and had been traded for Bo Lamar. Detroit later sent that pick, along with Marvin Barnes and another draft asset, to Buffalo in November 1977. Buffalo then traded the No. 38 pick back to Los Angeles for Tom Abernethy on June 7, 1978.
Lamar Gave the Lakers a Full Rotation Season
Whatever the rights-routing ambiguity, Lamar's Los Angeles outcome is clear. Basketball-Reference credits him with 71 regular-season games in 1976-77. He averaged 16.4 minutes, 7.1 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 40.6 percent. The Lakers won 53 games and finished first in the Pacific Division. Lamar was not a star, but 71 appearances and more than 1,100 minutes represent legitimate rotation value from an acquisition made immediately before the season.
He Also Appeared Throughout the 1977 Playoffs
Lamar played in all 10 Lakers playoff games in 1977. His role shrank to 10.9 minutes per game and 3.3 points, but Los Angeles used him in both postseason rounds as the club beat Golden State before losing to Portland in the Western Conference Finals. That playoff participation reinforces that the Lakers received more than an expendable camp body from the transaction.
Detroit Used the Pick in a Larger Marvin Barnes Package
Detroit did not simply hold the future second-rounder until draft night. On November 23, 1977, the Pistons sent Marvin Barnes, the No. 38 pick and a 1978 fourth-round pick to Buffalo for Gus Gerard, John Shumate and a 1979 first-round pick that later became Roy Hamilton. That gives the Lamar consideration real transactional utility. This review does not assign the full Gerard-Shumate-Hamilton return to the second-rounder, however, because Barnes and another pick were also necessary outgoing assets.
The Pick Eventually Returned to Los Angeles and Produced No NBA Games
Buffalo subsequently sent the No. 38 selection back to the Lakers for Tom Abernethy. Los Angeles used the pick on UNC Charlotte guard Lew Massey. Basketball-Reference lists Massey as the No. 38 selection but shows no NBA regular-season statistics. That terminal outcome prevents Detroit's original consideration from receiving a strong standalone grade even though the pick had value as part of the Barnes package.
Final Verdict
Lakers Win, B/C+. Los Angeles receives a B because Lamar played 71 regular-season games, contributed useful reserve scoring and appeared in all 10 playoff games during a 53-win season. Detroit receives a C+ because the future consideration became a real second-round asset and was used in the larger Marvin Barnes package, but the pick eventually returned to Los Angeles and became Lew Massey, who never played an NBA regular-season game. Confidence is medium rather than high because Basketball-Reference attributes Lamar's October 20 transfer to Indiana while Lakers media guides and the traced draft-pick chain identify Detroit's rights involvement.