NBA Trade Verdict
Pacers Win
Indiana bought Don Buse's rights from Virginia for cash and acquired a signature two-way guard whose value carried from the ABA into the NBA.
August 10, 1972 Indiana Pacers / Virginia Squires Record confidence: Medium
Indiana Pacers Received
- Draft Rights rights to Don Buse
Virginia Squires Received
- Cash cash
Trade Analysis
The Pacers acquired Don Buse for cash in August 1972, a transaction whose exact day is uncertain in authoritative transaction logs. The basketball outcome is not. Buse became a core guard for the final ABA championship team, developed into one of the league's premier perimeter defenders and playmakers, and remained an impact player after the ABA-NBA merger, including an NBA All-Star season. With no comparable basketball asset leaving Indiana, the value gap is substantial. The A grade reflects the extraordinary return while the Medium confidence flag preserves the date-documentation caveat.