University of Houston's famed "Phi Slama Jama" team battles North Carolina State in the 1983 NCAA final. The Wolfpack would win 54-52 on a last second dunk by Lorenzo Charles.
Pacers And Bulls Swap Draft Picks Sidney Lowe And Mitchell Wiggins
On June 28th, 1983, the Indiana Pacers traded the draft rights of Mitchell Wiggins to the Chicago Bulls for the draft rights of Sidney Lowe and a 1984 second round draft pick (Victor Fleming).
The Indiana Pacers had several targets during the 1983 NBA Draft. After taking center Steve Stipanovich second overall, the Pacers still had the 23rd overall selection in the draft. Looking at guards Jon Sundvold and Randy Wittman, the Pacers would be unlucky as both players were taken 16th and 22nd respectively in the draft.
Next on Indiana’s list was point guard Sidney Lowe. From the 1983 NCAA Championship-winning North Carolina State Wolfpack, Lowe had been a leader on that squad. An undersized point guard, Lowe had earned a 1983 NCAA All-Tournament nod and made the All-ACC first team.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls held the first pick in the second round (25th overall) and were locked in on Florida State guard Mitchell Wiggins. A two-time first teamer in the All-Metro Conference, Wiggins had averaged over 20 points a game and led the Seminoles in scoring for two consecutive seasons.
Fearful of the Cleveland Cavaliers drafting Wiggins at the 24th spot, Chicago made a deal with Indiana. The Pacers selected Wiggins at 23 and Chicago selected Lowe 25th. The teams swapped picks and Chicago sent Indiana a second round pick in the 1984 NBA Draft for their trouble.
After Lowe was drafted, he eventually signed a deal with Indiana in late September of 1983. Indiana began the 1983-84 season 4-15. Their situation would never improve as they finished last in offense and had the worst overall record in the NBA at 26-56. Lowe was a backup at point guard to Jerry Sichting. He appeared in 78 games (two starts) and amassed 4.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 3.4 APG and 1.2 SPG in 15.9 MPG.
In the 1984 draft, the Pacers added point guards Vern Fleming and Ralph Jackson in the first and fourth rounds respectively. Both players competed with Lowe for spots in the rotation in training camp. Adding in Sichting, Indiana had four point guards on the roster, meaning that likely one of the players would be moved. In a somewhat stunning move, Lowe became the odd man out and was waived by the Pacers in training camp before the start of the 1984-85 season. He went on to sign a multi-year deal with the Detroit Pistons.
After being drafted, Wiggins signed a multi-year contract with the Bulls in August of 1983 worth somewhere just under $150,000 annually. A strong athlete and scorer, Wiggins started the season as a backup at shooting guard to Quintin Dailey. In mid-December, Wiggins took over Dailey’s starting spot, joining Ennis Whatley to form a rare rookie starting backcourt. Wiggins had traditional ups and downs of a rookie, but he impressed with his solid scoring ability. He lost his starting position to Dailey three months later.
Wiggins ended up with a solid showing in his rookie campaign. Appearing in all 82 games (40 starts), Wiggins was third on the team in scoring with 12.4 PPG. He also managed 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.3 SPG in 25.9 MPG.
Chicago started the 1983-84 season 5-14. Next, the team won seven in a row to get to 12-14. A 4-14 stretch would kill any chance of a playoff appearance. Chicago went on to finish with the second worst record in the NBA — ahead of Indiana — with a 27-55 mark.
After the ‘83-‘84 season, the Bulls had the third pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. With their pick, they selected University of North Carolina guard Michael Jordan. Jordan was a shooting guard which caused a glut at the two-guard spot. Since Chicago was clearly invested in Jordan, Wiggins was a roster casualty. The team dealt Wiggins along with a second and third round pick in 1985 to the Houston Rockets for center Caldwell Jones.
The second rounder acquired by Indiana in the Wiggins-Lowe trade was later moved by the Pacers to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal for Granville Waiters. The pick ended up 26th overall in the 1984 draft, and the Blazers used the selection on guard Victor Fleming from Xavier.
Mitchell Wiggins on being drafted and traded in the same day (via the Orlando Sentinel):
“I guess you have to be ready for anything in this business. It’s a changing world, and I’m ready for it. Actually, I found it kind of comical.”
What he thought when he first heard from his agent that he was traded:
“I first thought he was joking. But it really doesn’t matter. I had a good college career, and I’m looking for an even better professional career.”
On having to sit out for one season of college after transferring from Clemson due to disciplinary reasons:
“The year I had to sit out after coming from Clemson was the lowest point in my basketball career. But right now, this is easily the high point. Being a first-round pick means steak every night now. No more beans and franks for me.”
Sidney Lowe on joining the Pacers (via Indy Star):
“I was pretty satisfied, because Indiana was the No. 1 place where I wanted to go. I’m very excited about coming to the Pacers. I want to get up there as soon as possible and meet people and visit some hospitals.”
Why hospitals?
“I do a lot around here (Raleigh) and in North Carolina. I love to meet people. You have to meet people who are less fortunate than you are. That could be me in there with a broken foot or something. I try to show respect for other people.”
Why he was attracted to Indiana:
“I got a copy of their roster and saw they could use a point guard. I thought there would be a good opportunity for me there.”
On his height being a disadvantage in the NBA:
“My height is a disadvantage in some ways, but it also produces some advantages. It means I’m quicker than most of the guys I play. It means I can set up on top of them and go around them. I’m 6′1″ and weigh 196 pounds, so I’ve got some meat on me. The only problem I’ve seen is guys try to post up against me, but I found ways to work around that in college. I’ll have to see if that will work in the NBA. I try to nag the other guy, be in different places each time so the guy passing the ball doesn’t know where I’m going to be.”
If his lack of scoring will be a problem in the NBA:
“I think it was mostly circumstances. With our club [North Carolina State] we had a lot of guys who could score, so it really wasn’t necessary for me to shoot a lot. I tried to do what I could to help the club. But I have confidence I can score when I need to.”
On what he brings to the table (via The Republic):
“I ran the show in college and I’m not going to change my game. I have to be looking at point guard. I’ve been playing it all my life. There’s going to be some transition like getting used to the different plays and probably playing 82 games a season. But I’m ready. I hope to bring my enthusiasm here to Indianapolis. It takes time to build a winner. Even though it’s a long season, you still want to win.”
On his style of play:
“I’ve always played with a lot of determination and desire. I rely on a lot of positive thinking. I look at a player and I think if I can’t go over you, I’ll go under you.”
Indiana Pacers head coach Jack McKinney on Sidney Lowe (via Indy Star):
“He was the one we liked best after (Ennis) Whatley (taken by Kansas City and traded to Chicago). He’s a very, very good ball-handling guard, and he shoots better than people think.”
Chicago Bulls head coach Kevin Loughery on acquiring Sidney Green, Ennis Whatley and Wiggins in the draft (via The Times):
“I would have to say we are very satisfied with the draft we had. We get a quality forward in [Sidney] Green, the top point guard in the draft in Whatley and a guy in Wiggins who can put the ball in the hole for you.”
