NBA Trade Verdict

Slight Pacers Edge

Boston acquired Rick Robey from Pacers in exchange for Billy Knight.

January 16, 1979 Boston Celtics / Indiana Pacers Record confidence: Private Record

Trade Analysis

Boston Celtics Perspective

The Celtics received the better short-term value through Rick Robey, while Billy Knight did not become a major counterpart asset. The margin is narrow.

Indiana Pacers Perspective

Indiana finished with a modest but defensible realized-value edge over Boston Celtics. Indiana received Billy Knight and sent Rick Robey. The Pacers side is graded B, compared with C+ for the aggregate the other team return. The evaluation emphasizes what the players and draft assets actually became, while still accounting for role, timing, contract context and the competitive window. It does not treat every later outcome as something the teams could have perfectly predicted on the transaction date.