The Gilliam Rights Sale Was Separate From the LaRue Martin Trade
Basketball-Reference's Seattle, Portland and NBA transaction ledgers list two distinct September 2, 1976 transactions between the clubs. Seattle sold the player rights to Herm Gilliam to Portland, while Portland separately sent LaRue Martin to Seattle for future considerations. Bill Russell's Seattle executive record and Harry Glickman's Portland executive record preserve the same separation. This review therefore grades Gilliam for cash on its own and does not import Martin or the conditional 1977 pick into this exchange.
Gilliam Became a Real Rotation Piece in Portland
Gilliam had already played for Seattle in 1975-76 before the rights sale. With Portland in 1976-77, Basketball-Reference credits him with 80 regular-season games and 1,665 minutes. He averaged 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 20.8 minutes per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field. That is substantial realized value for an acquisition whose documented outgoing asset is cash rather than a player or draft pick.
The Value Extended Into Portland's Championship Run
The regular season was not the end of Gilliam's contribution. Basketball-Reference's postseason record shows him appearing in 18 playoff games for Portland, totaling 295 minutes and averaging 6.4 points. Portland won the 1977 NBA championship, and Gilliam was part of that playoff rotation. The title should not turn every reserve into an elite trade return, but it is legitimate hindsight value when the acquired player actually appeared throughout the postseason run.
Seattle's Cash Return Is Real but Unpriced
Seattle's side of the transaction is documented as cash. None of the reviewed Basketball-Reference or RealGM records identifies the amount, so this review does not invent a dollar figure or pretend to know how materially it affected the club. Cash has genuine transaction value, especially for a veteran whose rights Seattle was willing to move, but an unpriced financial return cannot be credited like a productive player season. The conservative approach is to give Seattle some value without equating the unknown cash with Gilliam's documented NBA production.
Final Verdict
Blazers Win, B+/C. Portland receives a B+ because Gilliam delivered 80 regular-season games, meaningful reserve scoring and 18 playoff appearances during a championship season for a cash-only cost. Seattle receives a C because it converted Gilliam's rights into financial consideration, but the amount is unverified and there is no player or draft asset to trace forward. Confidence is high on the transaction structure and Gilliam's Portland production, while the unknown cash amount keeps Seattle's side from being graded more precisely.