An Amended Trade Changed the Actual Outgoing Players
The Celtics agreed to acquire Gary Payton, Rick Fox, a conditional first-round choice and cash from the Lakers on August 6, 2004. The initial terms sent Chris Mihm, Chucky Atkins, Marcus Banks and a second-round pick to Los Angeles. One week later, Boston and the Lakers amended the agreement: Jumaine Jones replaced Banks, and the second-round choice was removed. The corrected final terms are essential. Evaluating the superseded announcement as if it were completed would attribute assets to the wrong club.
Payton Played While Fox Retired Before His Celtics Debut
Payton supplied veteran guard minutes for Boston during the 2004-05 season, although he was later part of another trade and subsequently returned. Fox, in contrast, retired without becoming a Celtics regular-season contributor. Their previous Lakers careers explain why the names drew attention, but only their receiving-team outcome belongs in the Boston assessment. The Celtics had acquired experienced personnel during a roster reworking, yet the two veterans did not deliver the same level of actual playing utility.
The Conditional First Was Valuable Across Later Trades
The incoming first-round right eventually became associated with the 2006 No. 21 selection used on Rajon Rondo. That does not mean Rondo arrived directly in Boston from this 2004 agreement. The pick passed through later transactions involving Atlanta and Phoenix before the Celtics obtained Rondo's rights in a separate draft-day move. Boston initially received a useful and movable draft asset, and its later identity demonstrates why the Lakers' surrender of a first was more consequential than sending away aging veterans alone.
Los Angeles Got Immediate Depth but Gave Up Draft Value
Mihm offered the Lakers a center option, Atkins gave them backcourt experience and Jones joined the forward group under the revised agreement. Those were genuine roster pieces, not empty compensation. Still, Los Angeles parted with a conditional first and financial considerations to make the roster change. The Celtics obtained a veteran guard plus an asset with significant downstream draft value, while the Lakers got depth rather than a major long-term replacement for their departing stars. The higher Boston grade reflects that broader return.
Final Verdict
Celtics Win. Boston earns A- for Gary Payton's veteran contribution and the movable conditional first-round asset, with Fox providing no Celtics regular-season games. Los Angeles gets C+ for Chris Mihm, Chucky Atkins and Jumaine Jones under the amended final terms. Banks and Boston's second-round pick were removed; Rajon Rondo's eventual No. 21 identity belongs to a later chain of transactions.