The Original June 9 Trade Is Clear
Houston, Boston and the league transaction ledgers all record the same June 9, 1977 exchange. The Rockets sent John Johnson to the Celtics for Boston's 1977 second-round pick and a 1978 second-round pick. The 1977 choice became No. 34 Larry Moffett. The 1978 choice became No. 28 Buster Matheney. The first surprise is that Johnson never played a regular-season game for Boston. His player ledger moves directly from Houston in 1976-77 to one Houston game and then Seattle in 1977-78. The team transaction logs explain why.
Boston Sold Johnson's Rights Back, but Houston Kept Both Picks
On October 18, 1977, Boston sold Johnson's player rights back to Houston. The Houston ledger explicitly notes that Johnson returned to the Rockets while Houston kept the draft picks from the June 9 trade. The 1977-78 league transaction log independently records the rights sale. The amount of cash Boston received is not listed in the cited ledgers, so this review does not invent a dollar value or treat the return as zero. That reversal dramatically changes the hindsight evaluation. Boston spent two second-round picks for a player who never appeared in a Celtics regular-season game, then recovered only an unspecified cash return. Houston retained both original picks and regained the same player asset.
Moffett Produced 20 Games; Matheney Never Reached the NBA
Houston used the 1977 pick on Moffett at No. 34. He appeared in 20 games during 1977-78, totaling 110 minutes, before the Rockets waived him on February 10, 1978. The second pick became Matheney at No. 28 in 1978. Basketball-Reference lists him as drafted by Houston but shows no NBA regular-season career. Those two picks alone produced little direct value, but the Johnson asset was no longer gone.
Houston Flipped Johnson Again Four Days Later
On October 22, 1977, Houston traded Johnson to Seattle for a 1979 second-round pick and a 1980 second-round pick. Seattle's team ledger and the league ledger record the same package. Johnson then played 76 games for the SuperSonics in 1977-78 and all 82 in 1978-79, but that Seattle production belongs to the later trade, not to Boston's side of the June transaction.
The 1979 Pick Became Paul Mokeski
Houston used the 1979 second-rounder at No. 42 on Paul Mokeski. He played 12 games for the Rockets in 1979-80. On October 7, 1980, Houston traded Mokeski to Detroit for a 1982 second-round pick that later landed at No. 32. Houston did not simply use that pick on Richard Anderson. On June 28, 1982, the Rockets sent the No. 32 slot to San Diego for Joe Bryant plus the second-round pick that became No. 42 Jeff Taylor. Bryant played 81 games for Houston in 1982-83, starting 56 and averaging 10.0 points. Taylor played 44 Rockets games that season. The Mokeski branch therefore ultimately produced 12 Mokeski games plus 125 combined Bryant-Taylor games.
The 1980 Pick Produced No NBA Return
The other Seattle pick became No. 43 Billy Williams in 1980. Houston drafted him, but Basketball-Reference lists no NBA regular-season career. That branch ended without realized NBA playing value.
Final Verdict
Rockets Win, A-/D. Houston receives an A- because the club retained both original Boston second-rounders, reacquired Johnson's rights, flipped him four days later for two more second-rounders, and eventually turned one of those into Mokeski and the Bryant-Taylor package. Boston receives a D because Johnson never appeared in a Celtics regular-season game and the only documented return after the rights sale is unspecified cash. The direct draft outcomes were modest, but Houston's repeated asset recycling created the decisive value gap. Confidence is high on the transaction chain and moderate on the exact value of Boston's cash return because the amount is not specified.