In one of those cases in the 1970s where an NBA team’s first-round draft pick was a complete loss, the Chicago Bulls netted nothing from taking Marquette big man Maurice Lucas with the 14th overall pick in 1974.
That’s because the ABA’s Carolina Cougars had acquired his rights in a 1973 undergraduate draft and Lucas wound up signing with that club after it moved to St. Louis in 1974.
The Portland Trail Blazers made a deal with the Atlanta Hawks prior to the August 1976 dispersal draft of players coming over from the ABA’s folded teams and took Lucas with the second pick in that draft.
Lucas earned All-Defensive honors twice and an All-NBA nod in 1977-78 while with Portland.
He also helped Portland to its lone NBA title in his first season in the NBA, leading the team in scoring with 19.7 points per game while also averaging 10.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals as the Blazers stunned the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals.
Lucas was traded in February 1980 along with first-round picks in 1980 and 1981 to the New Jersey Nets for Calvin Natt and spent parts of two seasons in New Jersey.
In October 1981, Lucas went across the Hudson to the New York Knicks, awarded as compensation for the Nets’ signing veteran free agent Ray Williams.
But Lucas only played on Broadway for one season, traded in July 1982 to the Phoenix Suns for Truck Robinson.
In August 1985, he was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers for second-round picks in 1988 and 1989.
Waived in September 1986, he was claimed by the Seattle SuperSonics and played a season there before returning to Portland in November 1987 as a veteran free agent, with Seattle acquiring a second-round pick in 1990 as compensation.
After one final season with the Blazers, Lucas retired in May 1988.
In 14 professional seasons, Lucas averaged 14.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 29.5 minutes per game, shooting .471/.143/.765.
In retirement, Lucas had two stints as an assistant coach with Portland and in 1997 was named to the All-Time All-ABA team.
In October 2010, Lucas died from complications stemming from bladder cancer. He was 58 years old.