1: Adrian Dantley
Dantley’s story is similar to McAdoo’s although his time spent in Buffalo was much shorter. He was selected with the 6th overall pick by the Braves back in 1976, winning Rookie of the Year as he averaged 20.3 points on 52% shooting as a 21-year-old.
He was shockingly traded before the start of his sophomore season for Pacers forward Billy Knight. The trade made some sense at the time, as Knight was coming off a season in which he averaged 26.6 points for Indiana after spending a few years in the ABA.
The Dantley/Knight trade ends up backfiring
Knight was a one-time All-Star with Buffalo but ended up getting traded before the start of the following season. Meanwhile, Dantley made six All-Star appearances and led the league in scoring twice during the following decade.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008 and currently ranks 31st on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, as well as the 21st-highest career scoring average all time.
One can’t help but wonder about the potential success if Buffalo had held onto 21-year-old Dantley and 25-year-old McAdoo. Perhaps they could have contended for a championship before the dominance of the Celtics and Lakers in the 1980s.
The Clippers have had a wide array of stars wear their jersey throughout NBA history, but they’ve also had a few extremely talented players leave the organization and achieve major success elsewhere.