Boston reacquired the player rights to Kevin Stacom from Indiana on February 9, 1979 after the Pacers had signed him as a veteran free agent the previous summer. The Pacers received cash, with the amount unspecified in the reviewed transaction records. Stacom played 24 regular-season games for Boston after the deal, averaging 4.9 points and 1.5 assists in 10.8 minutes. He did not play in 1979-80, was considered retired, and later returned for seven games with Milwaukee in 1981-82. Boston received a modest amount of immediate guard depth; Indiana's cash return cannot be quantified, so the Celtics get a narrow hindsight edge.
Kevin Stacom had played 55 games for Boston in 1977-78 before signing with Indiana as a veteran free agent in July 1978. The Pacers sent Boston a 1979 third-round pick as compensation for that signing. On February 9, 1979, Indiana sold Stacom's player rights back to Boston. The Boston ledger records the rights acquisition, while Indiana's ledger describes the transaction as a sale. The reviewed records do not state the cash amount.
Stacom appeared in 24 regular-season games for Boston after returning. He averaged 10.8 minutes, 4.9 points and 1.5 assists while shooting 39.1 percent from the field. That is limited production, but it is real roster value from a transaction in which Boston surrendered only an unspecified cash payment.
Stacom did not play in 1979-80 and Basketball-Reference notes that he was considered retired while working as an inn manager. He remained out in 1980-81, then returned for seven games with Milwaukee in 1981-82. Boston therefore received one short late-season stint rather than a multi-year asset. There was no later Celtics trade branch to increase the return.
The Pacers had already gotten 44 games from Stacom before selling his rights. For this February transaction specifically, their return was cash. Because the amount is not documented in the reviewed sources, this review does not assign speculative value to it. That uncertainty keeps Boston's edge small rather than turning a 24-game reserve stint into a major win.
Celtics Edge, B-/C. Boston receives a B- because Stacom gave the team 24 games of usable guard depth for an unspecified cash payment. Indiana receives a C because the cash return cannot be evaluated and produced no traceable basketball asset in the reviewed record.