Boston traded Fred Saunders to New Orleans on February 1, 1978 for the Jazz's 1978 second-round pick. Saunders gave New Orleans 30 regular-season games over the rest of 1977-78, averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.3 minutes. His NBA career ended after that season, so the Jazz received no later player or draft branch. Boston used the pick at No. 30 on Jeff Judkins, who became a useful two-season Celtics reserve. Judkins played 81 games as a rookie in 1978-79 and 65 more in 1979-80, totaling 146 Boston regular-season appearances and 1,060 points. He later continued his career elsewhere, but those later games do not belong to Boston's return. The Celtics converted a fringe veteran into two full seasons of second-round production, while New Orleans received only a 30-game rental. Boston gets the clear hindsight edge.
Boston, New Orleans and the league transaction ledgers all record the same February 1, 1978 deal. The Celtics sent Fred Saunders to the Jazz and received New Orleans's 1978 second-round pick. That pick landed at No. 30 and became Jeff Judkins. There are no cash terms, protections or routing conflicts in the cited ledgers, so this review is a straightforward comparison between Saunders's short New Orleans tenure and Judkins's Boston production.
Saunders joined the Jazz for the remainder of 1977-78 and appeared in 30 regular-season games. He averaged 13.3 minutes, 5.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists. His role was modest, but not nonexistent. The Jazz received an experienced forward who could fill bench minutes immediately while Pete Maravich and the rest of the roster pushed through the second half of the season. The problem is duration. Basketball-Reference lists 1977-78 as Saunders's final NBA season. There was no later New Orleans player or draft asset generated by his departure. The Jazz's branch therefore ends with those 30 games.
The Celtics kept the second-round pick and selected Judkins at No. 30 in the 1978 draft. He immediately became a meaningful reserve. As a rookie in 1978-79, Judkins played 81 games and averaged 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.8 minutes. He scored 709 points and logged 1,521 minutes. He returned in 1979-80 for 65 games, adding 351 points in 674 minutes. Across two Boston seasons, Judkins appeared in 146 regular-season games and scored 1,060 points. That is a substantial return for a second-round selection acquired in exchange for a player who had been on the edge of Boston's rotation.
Judkins continued in the NBA after his Celtics stint and finished with 272 career games. Those later seasons are useful career context but do not belong to Boston's realized return once he left the franchise. This review therefore stops the direct Celtics value at the 146 Boston games. Even with that conservative treatment, the pick comfortably outproduced Saunders's New Orleans tenure.
The original archive record called the trade even, which understated the difference in realized service. Saunders gave New Orleans 30 games and then left the NBA. Judkins gave Boston 146 games across two seasons, including an 81-game rookie year with nearly nine points per game. Neither player was a franchise centerpiece, so the transaction belongs below major-trade territory. The value difference is still large enough to support a clear winner.
Celtics Win, B+/D+. Boston receives a B+ because the No. 30 pick became a two-season rotation player who appeared in 146 games and scored 1,060 points. New Orleans receives a D+ because Saunders supplied only 30 games before his NBA career ended. The Jazz did get short-term roster value, which keeps the grade above a complete miss, but Boston extracted far more realized NBA service from the exchange. Confidence is high.