The Exchange
Basketball-Reference's Golden State, Seattle and league transaction ledgers all record the same July 25, 1973 exchange: the Warriors sent Walt Hazzard to the SuperSonics for Butch Beard. Seattle executive Bill Russell's transaction record independently confirms the deal. Hazzard had adopted the name Mahdi Abdul-Rahman, which explains why the legacy asset and internal player identifier use different versions of the same player's name. The source-backed record keeps one identity and records both names rather than treating them as separate players. No cash or draft choice appears in the trade.
Beard Immediately Becomes a Major Warriors Guard
Beard played 79 games for Golden State in 1973-74 and averaged 10.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 27.0 minutes. He shot 51.2 percent from the field, an efficient mark for a guard in that era. The Warriors missed the playoffs, but Beard established himself as one of their primary backcourt pieces. His 2,134 minutes were among the heavier workloads on the roster, giving Golden State a much larger first-season return than Seattle received from Hazzard.
The Championship Season Defines the Trade
Beard's second Warriors season is the central value in the deal. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games for the 1974-75 team, averaging 12.8 points, 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 30.7 minutes while shooting 52.8 percent. Golden State won 48 games, then went 12-5 in the playoffs and swept Washington in the NBA Finals. Beard played all 17 postseason games, averaging 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 26.4 minutes. He was not the team's star, but he was a core guard throughout a championship season.
Hazzard's Seattle Return Is Short
Seattle received a veteran with a much longer résumé, including an All-Star season for the original SuperSonics in 1967-68. His second Seattle stint was far smaller. Hazzard played 49 games in 1973-74, averaging 3.8 points, 2.5 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 11.7 minutes. Basketball-Reference lists no later NBA season for him. That makes the transaction a one-season, low-minute return for Seattle compared with two full seasons and a championship role for Golden State.
Beard's Downstream Trade Has to Be Handled Carefully
Golden State moved Beard on May 29, 1975, trading him to Cleveland with a 1975 first-round pick and a 1975 second-round pick for Dwight Davis. That deal proves Beard remained a tradeable asset after the championship. It would be wrong, however, to credit the full Davis return to Beard because Golden State also surrendered two draft choices. The source-backed evaluation therefore treats the Cleveland trade as retained-asset evidence rather than assigning all of Davis' later Warriors value to this 1973 exchange.
Why the legacy Grades Were Too Close
The inherited B+/B split understated the gap. Seattle did receive a real NBA contributor, but only for 49 games at 11.7 minutes per night. Golden State received 161 regular-season games, 4,655 regular-season minutes, a full championship season and 17 playoff appearances. Beard also remained valuable enough to be included in a subsequent multi-asset trade. The difference is not merely team success; it is direct availability, role, production and asset life.
Final Verdict
Warriors Win, A/D+. Golden State receives an A because Beard supplied two full seasons, became a high-minute backcourt contributor and played every game of the 1974-75 championship run before retaining trade value in 1975. Seattle receives a D+ because Hazzard supplied 49 low-minute games and 186 points in what became the final season of his NBA career. Confidence is high on the trade mechanics, the Walt Hazzard/Mahdi Abdul-Rahman identity, both players' production and Beard's later Cleveland transaction. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.