The Authoritative Ledgers Put the Trade on June 8
The legacy archive entry is dated June 7, 1978, but Indiana, Portland and the league transaction ledgers all place the exchange on June 8. This review preserves the frozen route identity while recording June 8 as the source-verified transaction date.
The package itself is fully aligned across those ledgers. Indiana sent the 1978 first-round pick that became No. 1 Mychal Thompson. Portland sent Johnny Davis and the 1978 first-round pick that became No. 3 Rick Robey.
Portland Got the Best Individual Player in the Deal
The Trail Blazers used No. 1 on Thompson, and he became a long-term frontcourt centerpiece. Thompson played 73 games as a rookie in 1978-79, missed 1979-80 with a leg injury, then returned for six more Portland seasons from 1980-81 through 1985-86.
Across seven playing seasons with Portland, Thompson appeared in 551 regular-season games. His strongest statistical season came in 1981-82, when he averaged 20.8 points, 11.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 79 games. He also averaged at least 14.7 points in every Portland season he played after returning from the injury.
In June 1986 Portland traded Thompson with Larry Krystkowiak to San Antonio for Steve Johnson. This review records that as evidence of retained trade value, but does not assign the entire Johnson return to Thompson because Krystkowiak was also outgoing.
Johnny Davis Became a Four-Year Pacers Starter
Indiana's direct veteran return was substantial. Davis started all 79 games he played in 1978-79 and averaged 18.3 points and 5.7 assists. He then started 82 games in 1979-80, 73 in 1980-81 and 70 in 1981-82.
Across four Pacers seasons, Davis played 319 regular-season games and started 304. Basketball-Reference's Indiana split gives him averages of 16.4 points and 5.4 assists over that span. That is far more than a temporary bridge player.
Indiana also retained value when Davis left. On December 31, 1982, the Pacers traded him to Atlanta for a 1983 second-round pick later used on Jim Thomas. The later pick produced limited value, but Davis had already delivered four productive seasons.
The No. 3 Pick Became Rick Robey, Then Billy Knight
Indiana used Portland's first-round pick at No. 3 on Robey. He played 43 Pacers games as a rookie, starting 13 and averaging 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds.
The Pacers then converted Robey into a much larger downstream return. On January 16, 1979, Indiana traded him to Boston for Billy Knight. Knight played 39 Pacers games during the remainder of 1978-79, then 75, 82, 81 and 80 games over the next four seasons.
That is 357 Indiana regular-season games after the Robey trade. Knight averaged 17.5 points in 1980-81 and 17.1 in 1982-83. The Robey branch therefore became a long-running scoring asset rather than ending after half a rookie season.
Both Teams Did Extremely Well
Portland can point to the strongest single outcome: a No. 1 pick who gave the franchise seven playing seasons and 551 games. Indiana can point to broader asset depth: 319 Davis games plus 43 Robey games before Robey became Knight, who added 357 more Pacers appearances.
The correct hindsight comparison is therefore much closer than a Thompson-versus-Robey draft comparison suggests.
Final Verdict
Pacers Edge, A+/A. Indiana receives an A+ because Davis became a four-year starter and the No. 3 pick became Robey, who was quickly converted into five seasons of Knight production. Portland receives an A because Thompson was the best single player in the deal and gave the Trail Blazers 551 games across seven seasons. The Pacers' narrow edge comes from the combined volume and successful Robey-to-Knight conversion, not from Thompson disappointing. Confidence is high.