Atlanta Bought Two Picks and Used Them Immediately
The frozen canonical record and Pro Sports Transactions record Atlanta acquiring a 1980 second-round pick and a 1980 third-round pick from Utah for cash on January 24, 1980. The selections later became No. 45 Brad Branson and No. 64 Jonathan Moore.
The cash amount is not documented in the reviewed public sources. That prevents this review from assigning a precise value to Utah's return and lowers confidence relative to an ordinary player-for-player trade.
The Picks Became Same-Day Trade Currency
Atlanta did not hold the picks until the draft. The Hawks immediately sent both selections plus Ron Lee to Detroit for Jim McElroy on the same date.
McElroy then played 31 games for Atlanta in 1979-80, 54 in 1980-81 and 20 in 1981-82. That is 105 regular-season Hawks games from the larger McElroy package.
This review does not credit all 105 games to the two Utah picks because Ron Lee was also a meaningful outgoing player. The proper realized value is narrower: the picks were usable trade currency that helped Atlanta complete a multi-asset acquisition.
The Draft Outcomes Were Weak for Detroit
Detroit used the second-round pick at No. 45 on Branson and the third-round pick at No. 64 on Moore. Neither player appeared in a Pistons regular-season game.
Those later draft outcomes do not erase the picks' value to Atlanta, because the Hawks had already spent them successfully as transaction assets. They do, however, show that the selections themselves did not later become major NBA players for the team that finally drafted them.
Utah's Side Is Harder to Measure
Utah received cash and no player or draft asset in the recorded exchange. Without a documented amount, there is no reliable way to compare the Jazz's financial return directly with Atlanta's basketball use of the picks.
That uncertainty keeps the grade restrained. The Hawks clearly converted the picks into useful trade leverage, but the deal should not be treated like a major basketball win over Utah when the cash consideration is unknown.
Final Verdict
Slight Hawks Edge, B-/C+. Atlanta receives a B- because the two picks were immediately useful in the McElroy trade, which produced 105 Hawks games as part of a larger package. Utah receives a C+ because it received cash by design, but the undocumented amount prevents a stronger realized-value grade. Confidence is medium.