The Exchange
Basketball-Reference's Philadelphia, Portland and league transaction pages agree that the 76ers traded Dave Wohl to the Trail Blazers for Dale Schlueter on October 2, 1972. The swap was a direct player-for-player move with no pick or cash component in the reviewed ledgers. Both players were established role players: Schlueter was a veteran center who had averaged 11.7 points and 10.6 rebounds for Portland the previous season, while Wohl was a second-year point guard coming off 79 games for Philadelphia as a rookie. That makes the trade straightforward to evaluate through the production each team actually retained.
Schlueter in Philadelphia
Schlueter became one of the more durable players on a historically bad 76ers team. He appeared in 78 games during 1972-73, started ten, and averaged 5.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 14.6 minutes. He totaled 1,136 minutes and 354 rebounds. Philadelphia went 9-73, so his individual contribution did not translate into team success, but the trade still produced a full season of reliable center minutes. For a one-for-one exchange, that volume alone already exceeded what Portland received from Wohl.
Wohl's Short Portland Stay
Wohl played only 22 games for the Trail Blazers. He averaged 5.4 points and 3.1 assists in 17.9 minutes and logged 393 total minutes. Portland then waived him on December 6, 1972, barely two months after the trade. Buffalo claimed him immediately. Wohl went on to play 56 games for the Braves during the same season and remained an NBA guard for several more years, but Portland received no compensation for that later career because its relationship with him ended on waivers. The Blazers' realized return is therefore limited to those 22 appearances.
Philadelphia Converts Schlueter Again
Philadelphia extracted a second return from Schlueter instead of simply letting him leave. On February 1, 1973, the 76ers traded him to Atlanta for Don May. May played 26 games for Philadelphia over the remainder of 1972-73 and averaged 11.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 23.2 minutes. He returned for 56 games in 1973-74, giving the 76ers 82 regular-season appearances across two seasons after the Schlueter conversion. That downstream value extends the original Wohl trade well beyond Schlueter's own Philadelphia games.
How Much the Team Context Counts
Neither side turned this trade into a competitive breakthrough. Philadelphia's 1972-73 season remains the worst full-season record in franchise history, and Portland also missed the playoffs. The grade therefore should not treat Schlueter's 78 games or May's later production as star-level value. Still, hindsight grading is about realized asset value, not team reputation alone. Philadelphia received a playable center, then used that center to acquire another rotation player. Portland received a guard it waived after 22 games.
Final Verdict
76ers Win, B+/D+. Philadelphia receives a B+ because Schlueter supplied 78 games and the club then converted him into Don May, who added 82 more Philadelphia appearances across two seasons. Portland receives a D+ because Wohl gave the Blazers only 22 games before being waived for no return. The gap is clear even though neither incoming player became a star and Philadelphia's team results were poor. Confidence is high on the transaction, game totals and Schlueter-to-May downstream chain. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.