Dr. J is primarily remembered for his playing days in Philadelphia as a member of the 76ers. However, few can remember that he could very easily have been a member of the New Jersey Nets for most of his career.
Julius Erving first came to New Jersey in 1973 because the Virginia Squires were short on money. He quickly led them to their first ABA title in 1974 by defeating the Utah Stars. It was around this time that Erving was not only a standout player in the ABA, but everywhere.
Most ABA fans point to Erving as the main reason the ABA-NBA merger came to fruition. He would help the Nets win another ABA title in the last championship, and since the Nets were going to be one of the new NBA teams, everything seemed set to go.
The Nets would also negotiate a proposed deal with the Royals that would allow the Nets to acquire Nate Archibald before the start of the 1976-1977 season. However, things would get worse when the New York Knicks stepped in.
Since the Knicks had a firm grip on the NBA market in the New York metropolitan area, they demanded $4.8 million from the Nets. This wasn’t the only payment the Nets had to make, but adding that to all the news fees upon joining the NBA made this franchise financially unstable.
Archibald’s exchange would fail. Erving was no longer payable, angering the rising star. After sitting out the preseason, the Nets were forced to sell him to the 76ers for about $3 million.
Erving caused quite a stir in New Jersey as its first true superstar. It’s a shame we never got to see how that great Nets team could have done it with the same players plus Archibald in the NBA.