1947 NBA Trades

Philadelphia sold Jerry Rullo's player rights to the original Baltimore Bullets for cash on October 14, 1947. Rullo had played 50 games at 2.5 points per game for the 1947 BAA champion Warriors, but his Baltimore stay lasted only two games and he did not score before the Bullets placed him on waivers in December. Philadelphia's cash return is undisclosed, so it cannot be valued precisely. The Warriors get the slight historical edge because they monetized a reserve whose Baltimore tenure produced almost no on-court value, although the unknown cash amount keeps the grade modest.

Minneapolis acquired Don 'Swede' Carlson from the Chicago Stags for cash on September 1, 1947. Carlson became a major supporting piece immediately, averaging 8.2 points in 58 games as the Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship. He then averaged 9.2 points in 55 games for the 1949 BAA champions and remained on the roster for the Lakers' 1950 NBA championship season. Chicago's cash return is not disclosed in the surviving transaction records. The Lakers therefore receive a decisive historical win because an unspecified payment produced three championship seasons of rotation value.

Minneapolis acquired Tony Jaros from the Chicago Stags for cash on September 1, 1947. Jaros immediately became a regular on the 1948 NBL champion Lakers, playing 58 games and averaging 4.7 points. He then averaged 5.8 points in 59 games for the 1949 BAA champions and 3.9 points in 61 games for the 1950 NBA champions. Chicago's cash return is not disclosed in the surviving transaction sources. The Lakers therefore receive the decisive historical edge because an unspecified payment produced three straight championship seasons of rotation value.

Boston traded Wyndol Gray to the St. Louis Bombers for Cecil Hankins on April 29, 1947. The direct returns were modest the next season: Hankins played 25 games for Boston at 2.8 points per game, while Gray played 11 games for St. Louis at 1.2 points. The deal tilted toward St. Louis because Gray was later traded to Providence for Ariel Maughan, who became a useful Bombers contributor for multiple seasons, including 10.8 points per game in 1948-49. Boston received only one limited season from Hankins, giving the Bombers the stronger downstream return.

Toronto acquired Nat Militzok from the New York Knicks for cash in February 1947. Militzok had averaged 4.0 points in 36 games for New York and then averaged 4.8 points across 21 games for the Huskies while improving his field-goal percentage from .243 to .295. The cash amount paid to New York is not disclosed in the surviving transaction records, so the Knicks' return cannot be valued precisely. Toronto gets the slight historical edge because it converted an unspecified payment into a useful rotation forward for the final third of its only BAA season, though the move did not change the Huskies' 22-38 finish.

Providence acquired Hank Rosenstein from the New York Knicks for cash on January 26, 1947. Rosenstein had averaged 4.3 points in 31 games for New York, then doubled that rate to 8.6 points across 29 games for the Steamrollers while improving his field-goal percentage from .262 to .331. The cash amount New York received is not disclosed in the surviving transaction pages, so the Knicks' financial return cannot be measured precisely. Providence gets the historical edge because it converted an unspecified payment into one of the club's more productive second-half scorers, even though the Steamrollers still finished 28-32.

Toronto acquired Bob Mullens from the New York Knicks for Bob Fitzgerald on January 21, 1947. Mullens' scoring jumped from 2.9 points in 26 games for New York to 8.5 points across 28 games for Toronto, while Fitzgerald fell from 4.5 points with the Huskies to 2.8 points in 29 games for the Knicks. New York still finished 33-27 and reached the playoffs, so the trade did not damage a successful season, but Toronto received the stronger individual return. The Huskies get the historical edge because Mullens became a substantially larger offensive contributor immediately after the exchange.

Philadelphia acquired Ralph Kaplowitz from the New York Knicks for cash on January 16, 1947. Kaplowitz had averaged 7.2 points in 27 games for New York and then averaged 7.0 points across 30 regular-season games for Philadelphia. He also appeared in all 10 of the Warriors' playoff games as Philadelphia won the inaugural BAA championship. The cash amount paid to New York is not preserved in the transaction pages used here, so the Knicks' financial return cannot be valued precisely. Philadelphia gets the historical edge because it converted an undisclosed payment into immediate rotation production on a championship team and another full season the next year.

Boston traded Red Wallace to the Toronto Huskies for Charlie Hoefer on January 2, 1947. Wallace became a much larger scorer after the move, averaging 11.5 points in 37 games for Toronto after averaging 5.5 in 24 games for Boston. Hoefer gave the Celtics 35 games at 6.0 points per game that season and returned for seven games the next year. Both clubs finished 22-38, so the trade did not change either team's season, but Toronto received the stronger individual production and gets the historical edge.