The Primary Ledgers Agree This Was a Cash Rights Sale
Basketball-Reference's Buffalo, New York and NBA transaction pages all record the same September 10, 1976 structure: the Braves sold the player rights to Jim McMillian to the Knicks. The New York page describes the acquisition of McMillian's rights, while the Buffalo and league ledgers explicitly use the word "sold." No player or draft pick is listed going back to Buffalo. The legacy cash asset is therefore directionally correct, but the reviewed records do not state an amount. This review keeps the financial return unpriced rather than inventing a figure.
McMillian Became an Immediate Knicks Starter
McMillian was not merely an end-of-bench veteran. In 1976-77 he played 67 games, started 60 and averaged 32.2 minutes, 9.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the field. New York finished 40-42, so the acquisition did not create a major team-level jump, but the Knicks received more than 2,100 regular-season minutes from him in the first year alone. That is substantial realized value for a transaction whose only documented outgoing consideration is cash.
The Second Season Added Durability and Playoff Minutes
McMillian returned for 81 games and 63 starts in 1977-78. He averaged 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 24.4 minutes, giving New York another full season of wing depth. The Knicks reached the 1978 playoffs, and McMillian started all six postseason games, averaging 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 22.3 minutes. Across the two regular seasons, New York received 148 games and 123 starts. The scoring role had declined from McMillian's Buffalo years, but the volume of usable NBA minutes is clear.
New York Also Recovered a Compensatory Pick
McMillian became a restricted veteran free agent after the 1977-78 season. Portland signed him in December 1978, and Basketball-Reference records New York receiving a 1979 second-round pick as compensation. The Knicks used that selection at No. 34 on San Diego State forward Kim Goetz. Goetz never appeared in an NBA regular-season game, so the downstream draft outcome added no on-court value, but the Knicks still extracted a second asset after two seasons of McMillian production. That preserved value strengthens the acquisition even though the pick itself did not hit.
Buffalo's Return Cannot Be Valued Beyond the Cash Proceeds
The Braves' side is straightforward but difficult to quantify. Buffalo converted McMillian's rights into cash and did not surrender a draft asset or player in addition to those rights. Cash has legitimate franchise value, yet the amount is not disclosed in the reviewed transaction ledgers and there is no basketball asset to trace forward. This review therefore does not assign Buffalo a failing grade simply because New York got useful production, but it also cannot credit an unknown financial return as if it matched 148 games and later pick compensation.
Final Verdict
Knicks Win, B+/C. New York receives a B+ because McMillian supplied two full seasons of meaningful minutes, 123 starts and six playoff starts, then generated a 1979 second-round compensation pick when he left for Portland. The pick became Kim Goetz and produced no NBA games, which keeps the return below the highest grades. Buffalo receives a C because it obtained cash in a documented rights sale without taking back a basketball obligation, but the amount is unverified and cannot be compared directly with McMillian's realized production. Confidence is high on the transaction structure and player outcome, with only the cash valuation remaining unknown.