Buffalo and Milwaukee Exchanged Different Draft Opportunities
On August 5, 1976, the Buffalo Braves acquired the rights to the seventh selection of the ABA dispersal draft from Milwaukee. That position was associated with Bird Averitt. The Bucks received an ordinary 1977 NBA second-round selection that later became No. 27 Glenn Williams. The dispersal mechanism was created after the ABA-NBA merger and isn't interchangeable with a regular NBA amateur draft. Milwaukee preferred a future traditional draft opportunity, while Buffalo used its acquisition to evaluate an available professional who had played in the rival league. The modern Clippers franchise index covers the Braves' actual transaction.
Averitt Was a Known ABA Scorer
Averitt had professional experience and a reputation for scoring in the ABA before he entered the merger dispersal process. Buffalo's willingness to use a high dispersal slot reflected interest in a player closer to NBA readiness than an unknown 1977 second-round prospect. Yet a player's previous ABA points weren't NBA minutes with the Braves, and the future roster return had to be established after the acquisition. Moving this asset didn't give Milwaukee Averitt's established professional career. It gave the Bucks a different opportunity to select someone from the following year's amateur draft.
Milwaukee's Selection Became a Specific 1977 Pick
The incoming Bucks second was ultimately identified with the twenty-seventh selection in the 1977 draft, associated with Glenn Williams. That concrete position is a traceable benefit of choosing the future draft route. It did not guarantee a star, but it offered more predictable conventional NBA draft mechanics than acquiring an ABA dispersal right. By contrast, Buffalo took the immediate risk of a professional it could bring into its developing roster. Tracking the actual names prevents the agreement from being reduced to two anonymous draft picks without historical context.
Milwaukee Receives a Narrow Developmental Edge
The Bucks obtained a future second-round right that could support roster rebuilding, while Buffalo took a faster approach through Averitt. Neither side secured a franchise-defining selection, and later team success depended on many unrelated transactions. The result slightly favors Milwaukee given the ordinary draft right and the limited direct NBA impact that can be firmly attributed to Buffalo's dispersal acquisition. This is a modest result: the Bucks did not gain several firsts, and the Braves were not irrational to pursue a familiar professional scorer during the merger transition.
Final Verdict
Slight Bucks Edge. Milwaukee receives C+ for the 1977 No. 27 second-round position eventually associated with Glenn Williams. Buffalo, counted under the Clippers franchise lineage, receives C for the No. 7 ABA dispersal draft rights associated with Bird Averitt. Neither right is treated as an assured NBA starter, and Averitt's ABA résumé isn't Buffalo NBA production.