The Exchange
Basketball-Reference's Kansas City-Omaha, Philadelphia and league transaction logs agree on the January 26, 1973 structure: the Kings acquired John Block for Tom Van Arsdale and a 1974 third-round pick. Joe Axelson's executive record confirms the same package, and Pro Sports Transactions traces the pick to No. 42 Harvey Catchings. This is therefore a three-asset comparison rather than a simple veteran swap. Kansas City-Omaha received the best player Philadelphia had at that moment, but the 76ers received an established scorer plus a future pick that became a long-term NBA big man.
Block's Two-Part Kings Tenure
Block joined Kansas City-Omaha after averaging 17.9 points and 9.2 rebounds in 48 games for the 76ers. His role fell immediately with the Kings, where he played 25 games in 1972-73 and averaged 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.3 minutes. He returned for all 82 games in 1973-74, averaging 8.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 21.7 minutes. That gives the Kings 107 regular-season games from Block, including a full season of dependable rotation work. He was useful rather than a failed acquisition.
The Expansion Draft Ends Kansas City-Omaha's Chain
On May 20, 1974, Kansas City-Omaha lost Block to the expansion New Orleans Jazz. The Kings did not receive a player or draft choice in exchange. Block later moved from New Orleans to Chicago for Rick Adelman, but that transaction belongs to the Jazz's asset chain, not Kansas City-Omaha's. For this trade, the Kings' realized return therefore stops at 107 Block games. That is a meaningful return for one transaction, but it has a firm endpoint after only a season and a half.
Van Arsdale Becomes Philadelphia's Primary Scorer
Van Arsdale immediately took a much larger role than Block had with Kansas City-Omaha. He started all 30 of his Philadelphia games in 1972-73 and averaged 17.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 34.3 minutes. In 1973-74 he started all 78 games and averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He added nine games in 1974-75. In total, the 76ers received 117 regular-season games from Van Arsdale, and his 1973-74 scoring season alone supplied more offensive production than Block ever provided after the trade.
Van Arsdale Also Produced a Second Return
Philadelphia did not simply lose Van Arsdale when his role ended. On November 8, 1974, the 76ers traded him to Atlanta for Clyde Lee and a 1975 third-round pick that became No. 39 Jimmie Baker. Lee then played 71 games for Philadelphia in 1974-75 and 79 more in 1975-76, giving the 76ers 150 games of additional frontcourt value from Van Arsdale's downstream trade. Baker never played an NBA game for Philadelphia, but the pick still represents another realized asset generated from the original Van Arsdale return.
The Third-Round Pick Becomes Harvey Catchings
The 1974 third-round pick had even greater staying power. Philadelphia selected Catchings at No. 42. He played 37 games as a rookie, 75 in 1975-76, 53 in 1976-77, 61 in 1977-78 and 25 in 1978-79 before a February trade to New Jersey. That is 251 regular-season games for the 76ers. Catchings was primarily a defense-and-rebounding center, but he started 68 games in 1975-76 and remained in the rotation for five seasons. A third-round pick becoming a multi-year NBA big man is a strong draft outcome regardless of scoring totals.
Catchings' Later Trade Adds Context, Not Full Credit
On February 7, 1979, Philadelphia traded Catchings, Ralph Simpson and cash to New Jersey for Eric Money and Al Skinner. Because Catchings was only one component of that package, the entire Money-Skinner return cannot be assigned to the 1973 Kings trade. The transaction still proves that the Catchings asset retained trade utility after 251 Philadelphia games. That downstream durability is the opposite of Kansas City-Omaha's Block chain, which ended when the expansion draft removed him without compensation.
Final Verdict
76ers Win, A+/B. Philadelphia receives an A+ because Van Arsdale produced 117 games and a 19.6-point season, later returned Clyde Lee plus another draft pick, and the original third-round pick became Catchings for 251 more 76ers games. Kansas City-Omaha receives a B because Block was genuinely useful across 107 games, including a full 82-game season, but the Kings lost him in the expansion draft and received no downstream return. Confidence is high on the trade structure, pick identity, direct production and documented follow-on transactions. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.