The February Date Comes From the Team Media Guides
The historical ledgers require care. Indiana's official media guide records February 1, 1977 as the date the Pacers acquired John Williamson from the Nets for Darnell Hillman and a first-round pick. The Nets' own historical media guide separates the mechanics: New York traded Williamson on February 1 for Indiana's 1977 first-round pick and a player to be named, then received Hillman in April to complete the deal. Basketball-Reference lists the completed transaction under April. This review preserves February 1 as the parent-trade date while treating Hillman's April delivery as part of the same exchange.
The First-Round Pick Became Bernard King
New Jersey used the No. 7 pick on Bernard King. His impact was immediate. King played 79 games as a rookie and averaged 24.2 points and 9.5 rebounds, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. He followed with all 82 games in 1978-79 and scored 1,769 points, or 21.6 per game. Across two Nets seasons he played 161 games and scored 3,678 points.
Hillman Added Another Useful Nets Piece
Hillman did not join the Nets until the following season, but he supplied real frontcourt production once he arrived. In 1977-78 he played 45 games for New Jersey and averaged 13.1 points and 7.5 rebounds. The Nets then traded him to Denver in January 1978 for a 1979 second-round pick that became Clint Richardson. Because Hillman directly produced that pick, this review credits the draft asset as downstream value without assigning unrelated later moves to him.
Williamson Was a High-Volume Indiana Scorer
The Pacers did not receive a marginal player. Williamson played 30 games after the trade in 1976-77, started 28 and averaged 20.7 points. He returned for 42 more Pacers games in 1977-78 and averaged 19.1 points. Across the two partial seasons he scored 1,424 points in 72 regular-season games.
Indiana Then Recycled Williamson Into Three More Assets
On January 27, 1978, Indiana traded Williamson back to New Jersey for Bob Carrington, a 1980 second-round pick and a 1981 second-round pick. Carrington played 35 games for the Pacers that season. The 1980 pick became Louis Orr, who played all 82 games as a rookie and 80 more in 1981-82 while averaging 10.5 and 11.5 points. The 1981 pick became Brian Jackson, who did not play an NBA regular-season game. That downstream package materially improves Indiana's side of the original evaluation.
King's Nets Tenure Was Great but Not Permanent
New Jersey traded King in October 1979 with Jim Boylan and John Gianelli to Utah for Rich Kelley. This review does not credit the full Kelley return to King because two other players were included. The trade still demonstrates that King's value had not disappeared after his two high-scoring Nets seasons.
Final Verdict
Nets Edge, A/B+. New Jersey receives an A because the No. 7 pick became an immediate 20-plus-point scorer in King, while Hillman added 45 productive games and another second-round asset. Indiana receives a B+ because Williamson was a 20-point scorer for 72 games and his resale produced Carrington plus the pick that became Louis Orr, a useful two-year Pacers forward. King's peak scoring gives the Nets the stronger realized return, but Indiana's downstream value makes the gap moderate rather than overwhelming. Confidence is high on the assets and outcomes, with the parent date anchored to the team media guides.