Boston Took a Major Injury Risk by Trading for Bill Walton
On September 6, 1985, the Celtics acquired veteran center Bill Walton from the Los Angeles Clippers in return for forward Cedric Maxwell, a 1986 first-round selection and cash. The draft choice ultimately became associated with No. 24, the rights linked in the trade ledger to Arvydas Sabonis. Walton had been the league's Most Valuable Player in Portland but had suffered repeated foot injuries and had not played full seasons consistently. Boston wanted another intelligent passing and defensive big man behind Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, while the Clippers chose an experienced championship forward and additional draft and financial assets. The transaction was not a straight Maxwell-for-Walton bargain because a future first was also surrendered. Neither side could be certain Walton's health would hold through another championship pursuit.
Walton Won Sixth Man Honors as Boston Captured the 1986 Title
Walton gave Boston precisely the reserve center role it hoped to acquire. In 1985-86 he appeared in 80 regular-season games, played about twenty minutes per outing and won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. He supplied passing, defense and shot blocking to a lineup that won 67 games and the championship over Houston in the Finals. Those are team-specific contributions directly traceable to the Clippers trade rather than Walton's earlier Portland MVP season. His health became less reliable again afterward, and he did not build many more years of production in Boston, but the first season alone provided a major return. The Celtics Win inherited verdict is strongest because the incoming reserve played meaningful minutes on the club's immediate championship team. The franchise chose a near-term title opportunity over retaining a younger draft right.
Maxwell and the Draft Asset Were Real Clippers Considerations
Maxwell had been a valuable forward on Boston's earlier championship teams, including the 1981 Finals Most Valuable Player, but entered the Clippers organization near the later stage of his career. He brought a known veteran presence while the draft selection added another asset that could be exchanged or exercised. The eventual No. 24 choice linked to Sabonis is a draft-pick identity, not proof that Sabonis played NBA games for the Clippers; his eventual NBA career was with Portland after years overseas. The additional cash belongs in the economic return, although its amount is not specified in the canonical ledger. Los Angeles did obtain compensation from Boston, but nothing matched Walton's 1985-86 Sixth Man season and championship utility. The deal illustrates a rare veteran gamble that produced exactly the high-impact short-term role its acquiring team intended.
Final Verdict
Celtics Win. Boston received Bill Walton, who played 80 regular-season games in 1985-86, won Sixth Man of the Year and helped the franchise capture the NBA championship. Los Angeles obtained Cedric Maxwell, cash and a future first-round asset associated with No. 24 Arvydas Sabonis; Sabonis's later Portland playing seasons were not Clippers production.