The 1976âÂÂ77 New Orleans Jazz season was the team's third in the NBA. They began the season hoping to improve upon their 38âÂÂ44 output from the previous season. They came up three wins shy of tying it, finishing 35âÂÂ47, and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third straight season.
The Jazz previously had the rights to Moses Malone, having selected him with the first pick of the NBA's supplemental draft of former ABA players who were underclassmen. However, to retain Malone the Jazz had to forfeit the #1 pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. They chose to relinquish Malone's rights and retain the pick, which they packaged in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire Gail Goodrich and the Lakers' 1978 1st round pick. The Lakers received the Jazz' 1977, 1978, and 1979 first round picks and their 1980 second round pick in return. The 1979 pick the Lakers acquired would be the #1 pick in that year's draft, which they used to select Earvin "Magic" Johnson.