The January 27 Package Is Fully Confirmed
New Jersey, Indiana and the league transaction ledgers agree on the trade structure. The Nets received John Williamson. The Pacers received Bob Carrington, New Jersey's 1980 second-round pick and New Jersey's 1981 second-round pick.
The legacy archive entry correctly linked the 1980 pick to Louis Orr, but it mislabeled the 1981 outcome as No. 25 Brian Jackson. The later routing shows why. Indiana traded that pick to Portland in 1979, and Portland ultimately used it at No. 26 on Brian Jackson. This review repairs the slot and records the intermediary value Indiana actually received before the draft.
Williamson Immediately Became a High-End Nets Scorer
Williamson's direct New Jersey return was substantial. He played 33 games after the trade in 1977-78 and averaged 29.5 points in 38.8 minutes. He followed with 74 games in 1978-79 at 22.2 points and another 28 Nets games in 1979-80 at 17.7 points.
Across those post-trade Nets seasons, Williamson appeared in 135 regular-season games. The value was concentrated in scoring rather than longevity, but the peak was far above what any single Indiana asset produced.
New Jersey later moved Williamson on February 4, 1980. The Nets sent him plus a 1981 second-round pick to Washington for Roger Phegley. Because another second-round asset was included, this review does not credit the entire Phegley return to Williamson alone. Phegley nevertheless played 28 Nets games at 11.7 points before New Jersey traded him to Cleveland for Foots Walker.
Carrington Was a Short-Term Pacers Piece
Bob Carrington played 35 games for Indiana after the trade, averaging 7.1 points in 17.7 minutes. He did not play in the NBA in 1978-79 and later resurfaced for 10 games with San Diego in 1979-80.
His Indiana branch was modest, but Carrington was only one of three Pacers assets.
The 1980 Second Became Louis Orr
Indiana used the 1980 second-round pick at No. 29 on Louis Orr. Orr played all 82 games as a rookie in 1980-81, averaging 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds. He returned for 80 games in 1981-82 at 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds.
That gave Indiana 162 regular-season games, 48 starts and an 11.0-point average from the pick. In October 1982 the Pacers traded Orr to New York for another second-round pick, extending the asset chain beyond his two Indiana seasons.
The 1981 Second Became Clemon Johnson Before It Became Brian Jackson
Indiana did not hold the other second-rounder to the 1981 draft. On October 9, 1979, the Pacers sent that pick to Portland for Clemon Johnson. Indiana and Portland transaction ledgers both identify the selection as the pick later used on Brian Jackson.
Johnson became a major realized return for the Pacers. He played 79 games in 1979-80, 81 in 1980-81, 79 in 1981-82 and 51 more for Indiana in 1982-83 before moving to Philadelphia. That is 290 Pacers regular-season games from the asset branch.
Portland ultimately drafted Jackson at No. 26, not No. 25. The 1981 draft ledger confirms No. 25 belonged to Boston and became Tracy Jackson, while Portland used No. 26 on Brian Jackson. The correction matters because the original legacy slot would otherwise collide with a different player's draft history.
Final Verdict
Even Trade, A/A. New Jersey receives an A because Williamson gave the Nets 135 games of top-line scoring, including a 29.5-point post-trade burst and a full 22.2-point season. Indiana also receives an A because Carrington, Orr and the Johnson conversion produced 487 combined Pacers games, with Orr and Johnson both becoming multi-season rotation pieces. New Jersey got the best individual player and peak; Indiana got superior depth, duration and asset conversion. Neither side produced enough separation for a defensible winner. Confidence is high.