The Verified July 22 Deal
Basketball-Reference's Indiana, San Antonio and ABA transaction ledgers all record the same July 22, 1974 structure: the Pacers sent Donnie Freeman to the Spurs for a draft choice and cash. Pro Sports Transactions identifies that choice as San Antonio's 1975 second-round selection, No. 18 overall, later used on Syracuse guard Jim Lee. The current Indiana media guide simplifies Freeman's departure to a cash return and does not mention the pick. Because the league transaction record and the draft-trade ledger independently preserve the draft choice, the source-backed archive keeps both the pick and cash while noting the media-guide omission.
Freeman Becomes a Full-Time Spurs Guard
San Antonio received immediate rotation value. Freeman played 77 regular-season games in 1974-75 and averaged 15.5 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 30.9 minutes. He scored 1,195 points and logged 2,381 minutes, making him the Spurs' primary shooting guard alongside James Silas, George Gervin, Rich Jones and Swen Nater. Basketball-Reference's depth chart lists Freeman first at shooting guard, and the team finished 51-33 with the ABA's best offensive rating. This was not a speculative rights acquisition; the player San Antonio acquired became a heavy-minute contributor immediately.
The Playoff Return Was Real Too
Freeman also played all six games of San Antonio's 1975 playoff series against Indiana. He averaged 16.0 points in 27.7 minutes while shooting .458 from the field. The Spurs lost the series 4-2, so the trade did not give San Antonio the postseason edge over Freeman's former team, but that does not erase his individual return. The Spurs received a complete regular season plus six playoff games from the acquired guard before the asset chain ended.
Indiana's Pick Became Jim Lee
The draft component is traceable. The 1975 ABA draft ledger shows Indiana selecting Jim Lee at No. 18 with the choice obtained from San Antonio. Lee had also been selected 79th overall by Cleveland in the NBA draft. He never produced Pacers game value from this transaction. Pro Sports Transactions records Indiana selling Lee's ABA rights back to San Antonio for cash on June 24, 1975, converting the acquired pick into another financial return rather than a roster player. That later cash belongs to the pick's asset chain, but the reviewed sources do not disclose an amount.
Freeman Leaves After One Season
San Antonio did not retain Freeman beyond 1974-75. The Lakers signed him as a free agent on October 1, 1975, and he played 64 NBA games for Los Angeles that season. That limits the Spurs' realized return to one ABA season, rather than a multi-year tenure or a later trade asset. It also keeps the grading below the level reserved for acquisitions that generated several seasons of production or a major downstream return. Still, one season of starting-caliber output is more concrete than Indiana's unpriced cash plus a draft choice that was converted back into cash before appearing in a Pacers uniform.
Final Verdict
Spurs Win, B+/C. San Antonio receives a B+ because Freeman delivered 77 regular-season games, 1,195 points and six additional playoff appearances in his only season with the team. Indiana receives a C because it obtained cash and the 1975 No. 18 ABA pick, then later turned Jim Lee's rights into additional cash, but no documented player value reached the floor for the Pacers from those assets. Confidence is high on the player movement, Freeman's Spurs production and the No. 18 pick chain; the main uncertainty is the amount of cash in either transaction. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.