Houston Obtained a Third-String Center for a Distant Draft Pick
The Rockets traded a 1987 third-round selection to Indiana for Granville Waiters on August 1, 1985. Waiters was a reserve center who had spent the 1984-85 season with the Pacers, and Houston was looking for additional big-man cover behind its well-established frontcourt. The timing was notable: the Rockets were preparing for a season built around Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, so Waiters did not need to arrive as a starter to fill a useful spot. Indiana accepted a low pick two drafts away instead of continuing to use its center. Both clubs' contemporaneous transaction histories agree on those terms.
Waiters Appeared in 43 Games on Houston's Finals Team
Waiters played 43 Rockets regular-season games in 1985-86, recording 156 minutes, 27 points and 28 rebounds. He averaged only 3.6 minutes per appearance, so he was a deep reserve rather than a major part of the rotation. Houston nevertheless reached the NBA Finals that year, losing to Boston, and Waiters was on the regular-season roster that supported the run. His minutes should not be confused with the contributions of Olajuwon, Sampson or the other players who carried Houston. The limited but actual NBA appearances matter when comparing this outcome with a draft selection that did not produce league games.
Indiana's Third-Rounder Became Sean Couch
The compensation was the Rockets' 1987 third-round draft choice, which ultimately became No. 60 Sean Couch. The Pacers' transaction register and the historical draft-choice ledger connect the selection to the Waiters trade. Couch did not appear in an NBA regular-season game for Indiana, leaving the Pacers with no on-court return from that eventual choice. A draft pick can be valuable as a scouting opportunity or later trade ingredient, but there is no documented downstream player acquired by Indiana from this particular third-round selection. It would be a mistake to grade the Pacers as if Couch's college career or hypothetical alternatives were NBA performance for the franchise.
A Small but Measurable Rockets Advantage
Indiana traded a veteran center for an inexpensive chance in the 1987 draft. Houston converted that choice into a reserve who at least gave the club 43 appearances and a handful of frontcourt minutes. The outcome was not a transformative transaction for the Rockets or a costly failure for the Pacers; it was a modest bench deal involving a low-probability pick. Yet the older Pacers-win verdict obscured the basic receiving-team record. Waiters played in an NBA uniform for the acquiring club while the pick did not produce a Pacers player. A slight Rockets advantage with low grades reflects that specific outcome without turning roster depth into a claim of postseason heroics.
Final Verdict
Rockets Win. Houston receives C- for 43 games, 156 minutes and 27 points from Granville Waiters in 1985-86. Indiana gets D+ because the acquired 1987 third-round pick became No. 60 Sean Couch, who did not supply NBA minutes for the Pacers. The gap is small but favors actual reserve usage over an unrealized draft selection.