Philadelphia Sent Clemon Johnson and a First for Two Seattle Big Men
On September 29, 1986, Philadelphia traded veteran center Clemon Johnson and its 1989 first-round draft pick to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for center Tim McCormick and forward Danny Vranes. Contemporary reporting by UPI and the Los Angeles Times confirms the exact direction of every asset. The 76ers had been trying to replace parts of an aging frontcourt and wanted younger big men who could fit a more mobile offense. Seattle accepted Johnson as another experienced center and a future first-round opportunity. The selection became the No. 17 overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, later used by Seattle on Shawn Kemp. In September 1986 that eventual draft outcome was unknown, so this was a substantial gamble on a distant first, not a trade for a fully identified future All-Star.
Seattle Used the Future Choice on Shawn Kemp
When the 1989 draft arrived, the pick obtained from Philadelphia was No. 17, and Seattle selected Shawn Kemp. He went on to become one of the best power forwards in the NBA during the 1990s, combining explosive finishing with strong rebounding and defensive work. Alongside Gary Payton, Kemp helped the SuperSonics reach the 1996 NBA Finals and sustained the team through several deep postseason runs. These are actual Seattle games and achievements from a player whose draft rights came directly from the 1986 trade. Johnson contributed veteran depth, but his playing career was not the central long-term payoff. The franchise gained far more from the unexpectedly productive first-round pick than from a short-term center swap alone. The inherited Seattle/Oklahoma City Thunder Win verdict therefore has a powerful basketball basis without pretending the front office could have guaranteed Kemp’s eventual value in 1986.
McCormick and Vranes Supplied Philadelphia Immediate Frontcourt Help
Philadelphia acquired two younger veteran frontcourt players, not Clemon Johnson. McCormick was a former lottery selection with scoring and rebounding ability, while Vranes brought defensive energy and the ability to cover several forward assignments. Both men played NBA basketball for the Sixers after the agreement and contributed to the club’s immediate effort to support Charles Barkley and the remaining established core. Their return was genuine, but neither became a franchise-defining counterpart to the player Seattle obtained from Philadelphia’s first-rounder. The 76ers had surrendered a future pick that ultimately turned into a multiple-time All-Star, and the difference grew more obvious as Kemp developed. McCormick and Vranes had their own later professional paths, but the team-specific Philadelphia benefit did not approach a decade of Kemp’s Seattle frontcourt production. The biggest hindsight cost was that draft choice, not simply the loss of Johnson’s veteran minutes.
Final Verdict
Oklahoma City Thunder Win is the inherited Seattle-franchise verdict. The SuperSonics acquired Clemon Johnson and Philadelphia’s 1989 first-round pick, used at No. 17 on Shawn Kemp, a future All-Star and 1996 Finals forward. The 76ers received Tim McCormick and Danny Vranes for immediate frontcourt help but surrendered the selection that became a franchise centerpiece.