The Pick Chain Starts Before This Trade
The first-round pick Kansas City acquired had already moved twice. Detroit originally owned the 1975 No. 10 selection, sent it to New York for Howard Porter, and the Knicks then moved it to New Orleans in the February 1 Jim Barnett-Neal Walk trade. On May 28, New Orleans sent that same pick to Kansas City-Omaha for Ron Behagen and a 1976 second-round pick. Basketball-Reference's Kings and Jazz transaction pages and Pro Sports Transactions all preserve the package. The Kings used No. 10 the next day on Bill Robinzine.
Robinzine Gave Kansas City Four Full Seasons
Robinzine immediately became a useful frontcourt piece. He played 75 games as a rookie in 1975-76 and averaged 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds. He played another 75 games the next season, all 82 in 1977-78 and all 82 again in 1978-79. That is 314 regular-season games for the Kings franchise in four seasons. His scoring climbed into double figures and his rebounding remained useful throughout the run. A first-round pick becoming a four-year rotation forward is a strong realized return even without All-Star honors.
Behagen Was a Real Return for New Orleans
New Orleans did not give away the pick for nothing. Ron Behagen played 66 games for the Jazz in 1975-76 and averaged 11.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 26.3 minutes. He returned for 60 games in 1976-77 at 8.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. Across those two seasons, Behagen gave the Jazz 126 regular-season games and substantial frontcourt production. His first year in particular was good enough that the deal cannot be treated as a one-sided failure for New Orleans.
The Major Jones Pick Was Already Owed to Portland
The legacy archive entry makes the 1976 second-round pick look like a simple future Jazz selection that became Major Jones. The chain is more complicated. New Orleans had traded Rick Roberson to Portland in September 1974 for Barry Clemens, future consideration, and cash. The Jazz later used the Kansas City second-rounder acquired in this Behagen trade to satisfy that future-consideration obligation. Portland ultimately held the No. 20 pick and drafted Major Jones. The official Jazz media guide explicitly describes the pick as sent to Portland under the earlier Roberson transaction.
That Means Major Jones' NBA Career Is Not Jazz Production
Major Jones eventually played six NBA seasons, but he did not do so for New Orleans. Portland drafted him, and his NBA debut came later with Houston after several seasons in other professional leagues. The Jazz should receive transaction value for acquiring an asset that helped satisfy an existing obligation, but Jones' later NBA statistics cannot be credited to New Orleans. This is an important distinction between a pick's final draft identity and the actual realized production a franchise received from the asset.
Final Verdict
Kings Win, A/B+. Kansas City receives an A because the acquired No. 10 pick became Robinzine, who supplied 314 regular-season games over four full seasons. New Orleans receives a B+ because Behagen delivered 126 productive games and the 1976 second-rounder had real value as the asset used to complete the prior Portland obligation. The Jazz did not actually receive Major Jones' NBA production, so that career is not counted in their grade. Kansas City gets the edge through the longer directly attributable player return. Confidence is high on the May 28 package, pick chain and player outcomes. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.