Indiana Received Three Separate Value Paths
Basketball-Reference's Indiana, Philadelphia and league transaction ledgers agree on the February 15, 1983 package. Indiana received Russ Schoene, Philadelphia's 1983 first-round pick and a 1984 second-round pick. Philadelphia received Clemon Johnson and Indiana's 1984 third-round pick.
The trade was not decided by Schoene alone. Both draft picks created meaningful downstream branches for Indiana, while Philadelphia's third-round pick did not become an NBA player.
Schoene Gave Indiana 31 Games
Russ Schoene played 31 regular-season games for the Pacers after the trade and started five. He logged 520 minutes and scored 243 points.
He missed 1983-84 with a back injury, then played professionally in Italy before returning to the NBA with Seattle. This review therefore credits Indiana only with those 31 Pacers appearances.
The Mitchell Wiggins Pick Became Sidney Lowe and Another Asset
Indiana used the 1983 first-round pick at No. 23 on Mitchell Wiggins, but Wiggins never played for the Pacers. Indiana traded his rights to Chicago on draft day for Sidney Lowe and a 1984 second-round pick.
Lowe played 78 regular-season games for Indiana in 1983-84, including two starts, and averaged 3.4 assists in 15.9 minutes.
Indiana later used the second-round asset from that Wiggins exchange to acquire Granville Waiters from Portland. Waiters played 140 regular-season games for the Pacers across 1983-84 and 1984-85.
This review credits Lowe and Waiters as downstream realized value from the Wiggins branch because both came directly from Indiana rerouting the acquired first-round asset.
Stuart Gray Became the Longest Indiana Return
Philadelphia's 1984 second-round pick landed at No. 29, where Indiana selected UCLA center Stuart Gray.
Gray stayed with the Pacers for five seasons. He played 52 games in 1984-85, 67 in 1985-86, 55 in 1986-87, 74 in 1987-88 and 72 in 1988-89.
That is 320 regular-season games for Indiana, with four starts. The minutes were modest, but five seasons of reserve-center availability from a second-round pick are real franchise value.
Philadelphia Got Four Useful Seasons from Clemon Johnson
Clemon Johnson was not an empty return. After the trade he played 32 regular-season games for Philadelphia in 1982-83, then 80 in 1983-84, 58 in 1984-85 and 75 in 1985-86.
That gives the 76ers 245 regular-season games from Johnson across parts of four seasons, including 16 starts. He was a useful reserve on the 1983 championship team and remained in the rotation afterward.
The Third-Round Pick Produced No NBA Games
Philadelphia used Indiana's 1984 third-round pick at No. 48 on James Banks. Banks never appeared in an NBA regular-season game.
That leaves Johnson as the entire realized on-court return on Philadelphia's side.
Why Indiana Gets the Edge
Philadelphia received a useful veteran reserve for several seasons, so this is not a one-sided trade. Johnson's 245 games and championship-season depth deserve real credit.
Indiana, however, accumulated value from every major incoming branch. Schoene supplied 31 games, the Wiggins branch became Lowe and Waiters, and Gray alone played 320 Pacers games over five seasons.
Final Verdict
Pacers Win, B+/B-. Indiana receives a B+ for turning the package into several seasons of usable depth across multiple players, especially Gray's five-year run. Philadelphia receives a B- because Johnson provided 245 useful games, but the third-round pick produced no NBA player and the aggregate return did not match Indiana's broader asset tree. Confidence is medium because the grade depends partly on correctly tracing the Wiggins pick through two later transactions rather than only comparing the first set of names.