New Jersey sold Edgar Jones' player rights to Detroit on June 11, 1981 for cash or future considerations whose amount is not identified in the reviewed public ledgers. Jones gave the Pistons 97 regular-season games across parts of two seasons, including 44 starts, before Detroit traded him to San Antonio for a 1984 second-round pick and a 1985 third-round pick. Those selections became Eric Turner and Andre Goode, neither of whom played an NBA regular-season game. Detroit still received the stronger documented basketball return because Jones supplied two useful seasons while the Nets' cash value cannot be quantified.
Basketball-Reference records New Jersey selling Edgar Jones' player rights to Detroit on June 11, 1981. The legacy canonical record describes the Nets' return as future considerations or cash. The reviewed public transaction ledgers do not provide a dollar amount, so this review preserves the financial term without inventing a value for it.
Jones became a useful Detroit reserve and part-time starter in 1981-82. He played 48 games, started 19 and averaged 7.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 16.7 minutes. He remained with the Pistons for most of 1982-83, appearing in 49 games and starting 25. That season he averaged 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 21.1 minutes. Across the two seasons, Jones gave Detroit 97 regular-season games and 44 starts.
On February 10, 1983, Detroit traded Jones to San Antonio for a 1984 second-round pick and a 1985 third-round pick. The 1984 selection landed at No. 32 and became Eric Turner. The 1985 selection landed at No. 60 and became Andre Goode. Basketball-Reference records no NBA regular-season statistics for either Turner or Goode. The picks therefore did not add direct NBA playing value after the Jones tenure ended.
New Jersey's side cannot be treated as zero value because the transaction was a sale and the club received financial consideration. The problem is that the reviewed sources do not identify the amount or any later basketball asset tied to that payment. This review therefore grades the Nets conservatively rather than pretending the cash can be compared precisely with 97 games of on-court production.
Detroit received two seasons of useful frontcourt play from Jones, including 44 starts, and then converted him into two draft selections. Neither draft pick reached an NBA regular-season floor, so the downstream branch does not transform the deal into a major win. The direct Jones tenure remains the core of Detroit's value. New Jersey received real financial consideration, but without a documented amount or a basketball branch it cannot match Detroit's identifiable return in a realized-value archive.
Pistons Win, B+/C. Detroit receives a B+ for 97 Jones games, 44 starts and two later draft opportunities. New Jersey receives a C because the cash consideration was real but is not quantified in the reviewed public record.