The Warriors were a team that was not even expected to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season. After the 1974 season, in which they had a modest record of 44 - 38, they gave away 3 of their 5 leading scorers and got just one promising young player in return. The Warriors traded their 2nd leading scorer, Cazzie Russell, for a future draft pick. Even more startling, no shocking, is that the Warriors traded their future Hall of Fame center, Nate Thurmond, who had been 8th in the 1974 MVP voting and had been named to the 2nd team All-NBA Defensive squad.