1970 NBA expansion draft
Player Pos Nationality Team Previous team Years of NBA experience Career with the franchise
Em Bryant G United States Buffalo Braves Boston Celtics 6 1970 - 1972
Freddie Crawford G/F United States Buffalo Braves Milwaukee Bucks 4 1970
Dick Garrett G United States Buffalo Braves Los Angeles Lakers 1 1970 - 1973
Herm Gilliam G/F United States Buffalo Braves Cincinnati Royals 1 1970-1971
Bill Hosket F/C United States Buffalo Braves New York Knicks 2 1970 - 1972
Bailey Howell F United States Buffalo Braves Boston Celtics 11 -
Paul Long G United States Buffalo Braves Detroit Pistons 2 1970-1971
Mike Lynn F United States Buffalo Braves Los Angeles Lakers 1 1970
Don May F United States Buffalo Braves New York Knicks 2 1970-1971
Ray Scott F/C United States Buffalo Braves Baltimore Bullets 9 -
George Wilson C United States Buffalo Braves Philadelphia 76ers 6 1970-1971
Butch Beard G United States Cleveland Cavaliers Atlanta Hawks 1 1971-1972 ; 1975
Len Chappell F/C United States Cleveland Cavaliers Milwaukee Bucks 8 1970
Johnny Egan G United States Cleveland Cavaliers Los Angeles Lakers 9 1970
Bob Lewis G United States Cleveland Cavaliers San Francisco Warriors 3 1970-1971
McCoy McLemore F/C United States Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons 6 1970-1971
Don Ohl G United States Cleveland Cavaliers Atlanta Hawks 10 -
Loy Petersen G United States Cleveland Cavaliers Chicago Bulls 2 -
Luther Rackley C United States Cleveland Cavaliers Cincinnati Royals 1 1970 - 1971
Bingo Smith G/F United States Cleveland Cavaliers San Diego Rockets 1 1970 - 1979
Selections
The 1970 NBA Expansion Draft was the fifth expansion draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 11, 1970, so that the newly founded Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers could acquire players for the upcoming 1970-71 season. Buffalo, Cleveland and Portland had been awarded the expansion teams on February 6, 1970. The Braves later underwent several name changes and relocations before moving to Los Angeles. They are currently known as the Los Angeles Clippers. In an NBA expansion draft, new NBA teams are allowed to acquire players from the previously established teams in the league. Not all players on a given team are available during an expansion draft, since each team can protect a certain number of players from being selected. In this draft, each of the fourteen other NBA teams had protected seven players from their roster. After each round, where each of the expansion teams had selected one player each, the existing teams added another player to their protected list. In the first round, the Braves had the first pick, while the Blazers and the Cavaliers had the second and the third pick respectively. In the subsequent rounds, the Braves and the Cavaliers exchanged their order of selection, while the Blazers had the second pick throughout the draft. The draft continued until all three teams had selected eleven unprotected players each, while the existing teams had lost two or three players each.