New Jersey traded Eddie Jordan to the Lakers in November 1980 for a 1982 first-round pick. Jordan played 153 regular-season games for Los Angeles across parts of three seasons, including 58 games for the 1981-82 championship team. The Nets kept the pick and selected Eddie Phillips at No. 21 in 1982, but Phillips played only 48 NBA games, all for New Jersey, while averaging 3.2 points in 8.7 minutes. Both sides received direct value, but the Lakers turned the deal into substantially more useful playing time and a contributor on a title roster.
Basketball-Reference records New Jersey sending Eddie Jordan to Los Angeles in November 1980 for the Lakers' 1982 first-round pick. The team ledgers list November 20, while the frozen canonical record is dated November 19; this review preserves the canonical date while using the source-backed transaction details.
Jordan had played 14 games for New Jersey in 1980-81 before the trade. He then appeared in 60 regular-season games for Los Angeles that season, logging 987 minutes. His role was smaller than it had been with the Nets, but he remained a useful reserve guard. Jordan returned in 1981-82 and played 58 regular-season games, then appeared in three playoff games for the Lakers team that won the NBA championship. He stayed for 35 more regular-season games in 1982-83. Across the three post-trade Lakers seasons, Jordan totaled 153 regular-season appearances.
New Jersey held the incoming first-round pick through the 1982 draft. The selection landed at No. 21, where the Nets drafted Alabama forward Eddie Phillips. Phillips played 48 regular-season games as a rookie in 1982-83, averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.7 minutes. Those 48 games were his entire NBA career. The pick therefore produced a real NBA player, but not the multi-season value normally expected from a first-round asset.
This trade does not require a long downstream chain to evaluate. Los Angeles received 153 Jordan games, including a full reserve season on the 1982 championship roster. New Jersey received 48 Phillips games from the acquired first-round pick. There is no later Nets transaction branch from Phillips that materially closes the gap.
The Lakers gave up a future first, so the original asset cost was meaningful. In hindsight, however, the pick landed late in the round and became a one-season reserve. Jordan gave Los Angeles more than three times as many regular-season games and remained available through a championship season. That is a much stronger realized return.
Lakers Win, A-/C. Los Angeles receives an A- for 153 Jordan games and his place on the 1981-82 championship roster. New Jersey receives a C because the No. 21 pick did reach the NBA, but Phillips produced only 48 games before his career ended.