Trade Verdicts
NBA Trade Verdict

Pacers Win

Indiana acquired Clemon Johnson from Portland on October 9, 1979 for a 1981 second-round pick. Johnson became a four-season Pacers center, appearing in 290 regular-season games and starting 42 in 1981-82. Indiana later included him with a 1984 third-round pick in a Philadelphia trade that returned Russ Schoene plus 1983 first- and 1984 second-round picks, so Johnson also retained transaction value beyond his playing tenure. Portland used the original No. 26 selection on Brian Jackson, who never played an NBA regular-season game. The realized return strongly favored the Pacers.

October 9, 1979 Indiana Pacers / Portland Trail Blazers Record confidence: High

Indiana Pacers Received

Portland Trail Blazers Received

Indiana Pacers

A-

Portland Trail Blazers

D

Trade Analysis

Indiana Bought Four Seasons of Center Depth

Basketball-Reference records Indiana sending a 1981 second-round pick to Portland on October 9, 1979 for Clemon Johnson. Portland eventually used the selection at No. 26 on Brian Jackson.

Johnson Immediately Entered the Pacers Rotation

Johnson played 79 games in 1979-80, averaging 6.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 19.5 minutes. He followed with 81 games in 1980-81 and 79 games in 1981-82, starting 42 in the latter season. Johnson added 51 Indiana games in 1982-83 before being traded in February. That gives the Pacers 290 regular-season appearances from the player acquired for one second-round pick. The production was not star-level, but it was durable. Johnson became a multi-year rotation center and played a much larger role than the outgoing draft asset ever produced for Portland.

Johnson Also Retained Trade Value

On February 15, 1983, Indiana traded Johnson and a 1984 third-round pick to Philadelphia. The Pacers received Russ Schoene, a 1983 first-round pick and a 1984 second-round pick. This review does not assign the entire Philadelphia package to Johnson because Indiana also included the third-round selection. The important point is that Johnson remained a meaningful trade asset after 290 Pacers games rather than leaving for nothing.

Portland's Pick Did Not Produce NBA Games

The Trail Blazers held the pick and selected Brian Jackson at No. 26 in the 1981 draft. Basketball-Reference lists Jackson as a Portland draft choice but records no NBA regular-season games. Jackson had a professional career outside the NBA, but those results do not create realized NBA value for Portland in this archive.

Why Indiana Wins Easily

Indiana received four seasons of rotation play, 290 regular-season games and a player who still carried enough value to be included in a later first-round-pick package. Portland received one second-round selection that produced no NBA games. There is little ambiguity in the realized comparison.

Final Verdict

Pacers Win, A-/D. Indiana receives an A- for 290 Johnson games plus later trade utility. Portland receives a D because the No. 26 selection on Brian Jackson produced no NBA regular-season appearances.

Research sources (7)