Commissioner Won’t Nullify Marques Johnson Trade

David Stern, commissioner of the National Basketball Assn., said Wednesday he has denied the Clippers’ request to nullify last season’s six-player trade with the Milwaukee Bucks because the Clippers were not told that Marques Johnson underwent treatment for a drug problem in 1982.

The NBA’s ruling came following a two-day hearing in New York last month, when Clipper and Buck officials went before Stern to try to resolve the dispute. Stern, who served as the arbitrator, declined to elaborate on his ruling.

The ruling did not surprise either Clipper President Alan Rothenberg or former Buck owner Jim Fitzgerald, both of whom negotiated the Sept. 29, 1984 trade that sent Terry Cummings, Craig Hodges and Ricky Pierce to Milwaukee for Johnson, Junior Bridgeman and Harvey Catchings. “Needless to say, I knew we’d lose,” Rothenberg said. “If I get the time of day out of the league and it turns out to be accurate, it’s an upset. But we had nothing to lose. It only cost us a little bit of legal fees and effort.”

Said Fitzgerald from his Palm Springs home: “I knew we would win it, but it’s a sad thing to put a player like Marques through this.”

Rothenberg said the Clippers still have legal options, but he would not comment further.

Johnson did not know of the ruling until reporters approached him before Wednesday night’s game. “You probably haven’t seen the end of this,” Johnson said. “I reserve comment until it’s all decided.”

As an alternative to rescinding the trade, the Clippers sought compensation in the form of cash or draft choices from Milwaukee. Stern ruled that no compensation should be given to the Clippers.

Stern told the parties involved not to comment on the contents of the proceedings. But sources said the Bucks showed that the Clippers could have checked with Jack Joyce, director of NBA security, to see if Johnson had been admitted to a rehabilitation center. Johnson had a one-month stay at St. Mary’s rehabilitation center in the summer of 1982.

Sources said the Clippers used a statement made by Daniel Neviaser (a member of the Bucks’ board of directors) that read, “It’s true, we tried to hide that problem,” but had no other significant evidence to present to Stern.