Philadelphia and San Antonio Exchanged Backcourt Depth for a Wing
The August 24, 1988 transaction sent Pete Myers from the Spurs to Philadelphia, with Albert King heading to San Antonio. Basketball-Reference records the same straight player exchange from each club’s perspective, and RealGM independently confirms the directions. There was no documented pick attached to this trade. The 76ers were testing an additional guard, while the Spurs were taking a wing with multiple NBA seasons behind him. Neither acquisition was a franchise-level investment, making what the players did for their new clubs the useful basis for comparison.
Myers Barely Entered Philadelphia’s Rotation
The 76ers received just four regular-season appearances from Myers in 1988-89. His Philadelphia line was 40 minutes, 14 points, 10 rebounds and two assists with no starts. The transaction ledger also records that Philadelphia waived him on December 15, 1988. Myers then logged 29 games for the New York Knicks that season, but those appearances were not value Philadelphia received from the August exchange. His broader career would stretch well beyond 1988, yet later stops elsewhere cannot rescue a trade judged by his very short stint with the 76ers.
King Became a Usable San Antonio Reserve
King appeared in 46 games for San Antonio in 1988-89 and started 11 of them. Across 791 minutes he supplied 327 points, 140 rebounds and 79 assists, averaging 7.1 points in 17.2 minutes a night. That was modest production, especially given the Spurs’ losing season, but it represented real wing rotation use across several months. King had been an 11.7-point scorer with Philadelphia in 1987-88; those earlier numbers were not acquired by San Antonio. Even by counting only his Spurs season, though, his return lasted far longer than Myers’s four-game Philadelphia stay.
The Team-Specific Return Explains the Revised Grades
This exchange was not a blockbuster for either club. San Antonio did not gain a future cornerstone, and King’s 1988-89 stay was his only NBA season with the Spurs. Philadelphia did acquire a legitimate professional player, but it used him for just 40 minutes and then waived him before Christmas. On direct returns, San Antonio obtained 46 games against four, 791 minutes against 40 and 327 points against 14. The older Philadelphia-favored grade does not reflect that gap. The revised assessment gives San Antonio a small but decisive edge without giving either franchise credit for the players’ earlier careers or later unrelated teams.
Final Verdict
Spurs Win. San Antonio earns B- because Albert King provided 46 games, 11 starts and 327 points during his one Spurs season. Philadelphia receives D+ for only four appearances and 40 minutes from Pete Myers before waiving him. It was a low-stakes veteran exchange, but the playing return strongly favored San Antonio.