Trade Verdicts
NBA Trade Verdict

Kings Win

Indiana traded Len Elmore to Kansas City on November 27, 1979 for a 1980 second-round pick. Elmore played 58 games for the Kings that season, giving Kansas City useful reserve-center minutes before Milwaukee signed him as a veteran free agent. The Kings then received a 1981 second-round compensation pick, later included with Otis Birdsong in the trade for Cliff Robinson. Indiana used the original No. 40 pick on Dick Miller, whose entire NBA career lasted eight games. Kansas City therefore realized substantially more direct and downstream value from the deal.

November 27, 1979 Indiana Pacers / Sacramento Kings Record confidence: High

Indiana Pacers Received

  • Draft Pick 1980 second-round pick (#40-Dick Miller (Mathias))
  • Future Consideration future considerations (?)

Sacramento Kings Received

Indiana Pacers

D

Sacramento Kings

B+

Trade Analysis

Kansas City Turned a Second-Round Pick Into a Useful Veteran

Basketball-Reference records Indiana trading Len Elmore to Kansas City on November 27, 1979 for a 1980 second-round pick. Indiana later used the selection at No. 40 on Dick Miller.

Elmore Played 58 Games for the Kings

Elmore appeared in 58 Kansas City games during 1979-80 and logged 915 minutes. He averaged 4.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes, giving the Kings a real reserve interior role rather than a brief trial. The playing return lasted only that season, but the asset chain did not end there. Milwaukee signed Elmore as a veteran free agent in June 1980, and Kansas City received a 1981 second-round pick as compensation. The Kings later included that compensation pick with Otis Birdsong in the June 1981 trade that brought Cliff Robinson from New Jersey. This review does not assign Robinson's entire return to the Elmore branch because Birdsong was the principal outgoing asset, but the pick remained legitimate transaction currency.

Indiana Got Eight NBA Games From Miller

The Pacers used the No. 40 pick on Miller in the 1980 draft. Basketball-Reference credits him with an eight-game NBA career, all in 1980-81, averaging 1.0 point and 0.9 rebounds. There is no meaningful later NBA transaction branch attached to Miller in the reviewed sources. The pick therefore produced only those eight appearances for Indiana.

Why Kansas City Wins

Kansas City received 58 games of usable center depth and then a compensation second-round pick when Elmore left. Indiana's return produced eight games from a second-round rookie and no comparable downstream asset. Elmore was not a star for the Kings, so the grade should not overstate the transaction. The gap comes from basic realized value: Kansas City received both playing time and a later compensation asset, while Indiana received almost nothing on the court.

Final Verdict

Kings Win, B+/D. Kansas City receives a B+ for 58 Elmore games plus the later compensation pick. Indiana receives a D because Dick Miller produced only eight NBA appearances before his career ended.

Research sources (7)