A future second round pick was the best trade that the Philadelphia 76ers made with the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls are the fourth team to be covered in this series of articles about the best trade the Philadelphia 76ers has made with each team. The best deal made in between the two clubs was small at the time but ended up paying off in a huge way for the Sixers.
To be clear, the almost trade for the draft pick that became Michael Jordan won’t be included in this article. Between the two historic franchises, there has been a total of 11 trades, the most recent one was in 2006 and the first one occurred in 1969.
The trade that ended up favoring the 76ers the most ended up happening in 1974 and honestly when I was researching on this, I didn’t even notice this deal at first. However, it ended up being the best trade Philly has ever made with Chicago.
The best trade ever between Philly and Chicago was…
This trade is much more impressive as the graphics above suggest because that 1973 second round pick became Caldwell Jones. Jone was a defensive ace during his NBA prime, which was during his Sixers tenure.
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Jones was named to the NBA’s first-team All-Defense twice in the 1980-81 season and in the 1981-82 season. During his six seasons with the 76ers, he averaged 7.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks.
Not only was 6-foot-11 big man a great defensive player for Philly, but he was also part of the trade that landed the franchise Moses Malone. To be a key centerpiece to acquire a Hall of Fame player like Malone makes his time with the Sixers even more important.
They acquire Jones for Dennis Awtrey who was more or less a journeyman in his 12 seasons. His career averages were just 4.8 points and 4.6 rebounds. Flipping Awtrey for Jones who was an elite defensive player is a great trade alone and that’s not included the fact that Philly eventually traded Jones for Malone.
It didn’t seem a steal of the trade at the time, but acquiring the draft pick that eventually became Caldwell Jones from Chicago is a steal for the Philadelphia 76ers.