Indiana acquired Butch Carter from the Lakers on October 15, 1981 for a 1982 third-round pick that became No. 54 Hutch Jones. Carter played 229 regular-season games for the Pacers over three seasons, starting 82 and developing from a reserve into a 13.4-point-per-game starter by 1983-84. Los Angeles drafted Jones at No. 54 but waived him before the 1982-83 season, so he never appeared in a Lakers regular-season game. Jones later played 13 NBA games for San Diego, which are not credited to Los Angeles. Indiana therefore turned a third-round pick into three years of rotation and starting value while the Lakers received zero direct NBA games.
Indiana acquired Butch Carter from the Lakers on October 15, 1981 for a 1982 third-round pick. Carter gave the Pacers 229 regular-season games across three seasons and started 82 of them. His role grew over time, culminating in a 13.4-point-per-game season in 1983-84. For the cost of a late draft asset, Indiana received multiple years of useful rotation and starting production.
The pick became No. 54 in the 1982 draft, and Los Angeles selected Hutch Jones. The Lakers waived Jones before the 1982-83 season, so he never appeared in a regular-season game for the franchise. Jones later played 13 NBA games for San Diego, but those games do not create value for Los Angeles in this trade.
There is little need for a complicated downstream argument here. Carter became a multi-year Pacers contributor, while the Lakers’ draft return produced zero Los Angeles games. Indiana did not uncover an All-Star, but converting a third-round pick into 229 games is a strong result. Los Angeles received a real draft asset and simply failed to turn it into team value.
The third-round selection Indiana surrendered was a real 1982 pick, eventually No. 54. Los Angeles used it on Hutch Jones but waived him before the next regular season. Jones later played 13 games for San Diego, which did not generate Lakers roster value from the original selection. Indiana received Butch Carter directly, and he logged 229 Pacers games over three years, with 82 starts. By his final Indiana season he averaged 13.4 points per game, making the value much greater than a few emergency reserve appearances. The grade gap reflects what each original club actually received: Indiana obtained a useful player with growing responsibility, while the Lakers never put the drafted player on the floor in a regular-season game.
Pacers Win — Indiana A-, Los Angeles F. Carter gave Indiana three seasons, 229 games and 82 starts after arriving for a third-round pick. The Lakers used that pick on Hutch Jones and waived him before he played a regular-season game for them. The grade gap reflects the direct team value: Indiana received a productive NBA player, while Los Angeles received no realized on-court return.