Boston traded its 1980 first-round pick to Indiana on July 19, 1978 for Earl Tatum. The legacy archive entry also showed cash moving in both directions, but the Celtics, Pacers and league transaction ledgers all record a straight player-for-pick exchange, so this review removes the unsupported cash entries. Tatum played only three Boston games, but the Celtics flipped him three months later to Detroit for Chris Ford and a 1981 second-round pick. Ford became a four-year Celtic, playing 309 regular-season games and starting 75 games on the 1981 championship team. Indiana held the first until February 1980, then packaged it with Alex English for George McGinnis. McGinnis played 173 regular-season games for the Pacers over parts of three seasons. Because English was also outgoing, this review gives the first-round pick only partial credit for that return. Boston's downstream conversion produced the stronger realized value.
Boston, Indiana and the 1978-79 league transaction ledgers all record the July 19, 1978 deal as a straight exchange: the Celtics sent a 1980 first-round pick to the Pacers for Earl Tatum. The legacy archive entry included cash going in both directions.
Tatum appeared in only three regular-season games for the Celtics in 1978-79, averaging 6.7 points in 12.7 minutes. If the branch ended there, Boston's side would be weak. It did not. On October 19, 1978, Boston traded Tatum to Detroit for Chris Ford and a 1981 second-round pick that became Tracy Jackson. Detroit's transaction ledger independently confirms the same package.
Ford played 309 regular-season games for Boston across four seasons. He averaged 15.6 points in 78 games immediately after arriving in 1978-79, then started 73 games in 1979-80. His most important team value came in 1980-81. Ford played all 82 games, started 75 and averaged 8.9 points and 3.6 assists for the Celtics team that won the NBA championship. He remained with Boston for another 76 games in 1981-82. The second-round pick became Tracy Jackson. His NBA impact was minimal, but the pick was a separate realized asset on top of Ford. The Tatum branch therefore produced far more value than Tatum's three Boston appearances suggest.
The Pacers did not use the acquired first-round pick themselves. On February 1, 1980, Indiana traded Alex English plus the Boston first to Denver for George McGinnis. Denver later used the pick at No. 23 on Carl Nicks. Nicks never played for Indiana because the pick had already been moved. This review therefore does not credit his NBA career to the Pacers.
McGinnis played 28 games for Indiana after the trade in 1979-80, then 69 in 1980-81 and 76 in 1981-82. That is 173 regular-season games across parts of three seasons. The value cannot be assigned entirely to the Boston first-round pick because Alex English was the other outgoing piece, and English was already a productive 26-year-old forward. The pick clearly had first-round trade value, but it was one component of a package rather than a standalone purchase of McGinnis.
Celtics Edge, A/B. Boston receives an A because three Tatum games quickly became Chris Ford, a four-year Celtic and 1981 championship starter, plus a second-round pick. Indiana receives a B because the first-round pick retained meaningful trade value and helped acquire 173 McGinnis games, but the Pacers also surrendered Alex English in that deal. The source-backed cleanup also removes the unsupported two-way cash entries. Confidence is high.