Former All-Stars Available in NBA Expansion Draft

Besides Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers and Dennis Johnson of the Boston Celtics, at least seven one-time All-Stars are among the players available to the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat in today’s National Basketball Assn. expansion draft.

But because of age, injuries and big contract obligations, there is no certainty that any of at least seven All-Stars will be among the 23 players selected.

Calvin Natt of Denver, Marques Johnson and Norm Nixon of the Clippers, Otis Birdsong of New Jersey, Andrew Toney of Philadelphia, Walter Davis of Phoenix and Kelly Tripucka of Utah are among the All-Star names on the list. Also on the list is guard Randy Wittman of the Atlanta Hawks.

Miami, which will choose first, will get 12 players and Charlotte 11. Each existing team will lose one player.

Tripucka, 29, averaged from 19.1 to 26.5 points in five seasons with Detroit, wasted away on the Jazz bench the last two seasons.

It also was speculated that 7-foot center Bill Wennington of Dallas might be the first player picked.

“The big players who were not protected you have to look at hard even though most of them are of the journeyman variety,” Stu Inman said. “The smaller players are generally the ones who best combine youth and talent.”

Among the young guards who have shown an ability to score, usually in a backup role, are Dell Curry of Cleveland, Dwayne Washington of New Jersey, Terry Teagle of Golden State and Mike McGee of Sacramento.