Chicago purchased Tracy Jackson's player rights from Boston on December 9, 1981 for cash. Jackson played 38 regular-season games for the Bulls in 1981-82, all off the bench, then returned for 78 games and three starts in 1982-83. Across those two Chicago seasons he produced 116 regular-season games, three starts and 662 points before finishing his NBA career with Indiana. Boston received a tangible cash return for a player who had appeared only 11 times for the Celtics, but the public amount is not identified in the reviewed sources. Chicago therefore received the stronger realized basketball value from a small transaction.
Basketball-Reference's Boston, Chicago and league transaction ledgers agree on the December 9, 1981 mechanism. Boston sold the player rights to Tracy Jackson to the Bulls. The canonical source package records cash as Boston's return. The reviewed public ledgers do not identify the amount, so this review preserves the cash component without assigning it a speculative dollar value.
Jackson had appeared in only 11 games for Boston before the sale. With Chicago, he played 38 regular-season games in the remainder of 1981-82 and logged 412 minutes. He averaged 4.5 points in 10.8 minutes while shooting 47.3 percent from the field. He did not start, but the Bulls received a usable reserve rather than a set of inactive rights.
Jackson returned for 78 games in 1982-83 and made three starts. His role grew to 16.8 minutes per game, and he averaged 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Across the two Chicago seasons, Jackson played 116 regular-season games and scored 662 points. Those two years account for nearly all of his NBA career; he appeared in only two more games, both with Indiana in 1983-84.
The Celtics converted Jackson's rights into cash rather than holding a player who was buried on a deep roster. That is a rational transaction and gives Boston a real return. The missing public dollar amount limits any attempt to compare the cash precisely with Jackson's production. There is no evidence in the reviewed sources that the payment represented a major asset.
Chicago paid cash and received two seasons of reserve value, including a 78-game second season. Boston received an unquantified financial return. For a minor transaction, 116 regular-season games is a useful realized outcome. It is enough to give the Bulls the clear basketball edge without turning the deal into a major historical win.
Bulls Win, B/C+. Chicago receives a B because Jackson supplied 116 regular-season games and two seasons of rotation depth for a cash-only cost. Boston receives a C+ because it monetized a little-used player, with the unknown cash amount preventing a more exact assessment.