1963 NBA Trades

New York came out of the December 16, 1963 three-team trade with Bob Boozer from Cincinnati and Johnny Egan from Detroit. Detroit received Donnie Butcher and Bob Duffy from New York, then Hub Reed rights on May 1, 1964 as the deferred completion of the Egan obligation. Cincinnati received Larry Staverman from Detroit. Boozer gave the Knicks 129 games over the rest of 1963-64 and all of 1964-65, while Egan supplied 123 Knicks games before the Walt Bellamy trade. Detroit received useful depth, but New York landed the two strongest immediate returns.

This Detroit-side December 15, 1963 record is a duplicate perspective of the three-team Detroit-New York-Cincinnati transaction that the league and all three team ledgers place on December 16. The supported deal sent Johnny Egan from Detroit to New York, Larry Staverman from Detroit to Cincinnati, Bob Boozer from Cincinnati to New York, and Donnie Butcher plus Bob Duffy from New York to Detroit. A separate New York canonical record already represents that multi-team transaction and contains the broader package. The superseded entry is retained for provenance but excluded from graded results.

New York acquired Bob Duffy's player rights from the St. Louis Hawks for cash on November 11, 1963, correcting the legacy November 10 date and the malformed Bob Duffy (Joseph) identity. Basketball-Reference's Hawks, Knicks, league and player transaction records all agree on November 11. Duffy appeared in only four games for New York, averaging 4.0 points in 12.5 minutes per game, before the Knicks included him with Donnie Butcher in the December 16 three-team trade that brought Bob Boozer and Johnny Egan to New York. Because Duffy was only one of two Knicks assets in that later package and the original cash amount paid to St. Louis is unknown, the sale cannot be graded responsibly as a clear win for either side.

New York acquired Billy McGill from the Baltimore Bullets for Gene Shue and Paul Hogue on October 29, 1963, correcting the legacy October 28 date. Basketball-Reference's Knicks, Bullets, league and player transaction records all agree on October 29. McGill then played 68 games for New York in 1963-64, averaging 16.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game before the Knicks traded him to St. Louis the following October for a 1965 second-round pick. Baltimore received 47 games from Shue at 4.2 points and 3.2 assists plus nine games from Hogue before both left the NBA after the season. The realized basketball return favors New York, not Baltimore.

Baltimore acquired Kevin Loughery from Detroit for Larry Staverman on October 28, 1963. Basketball-Reference's Pistons, Bullets, league and player transaction records all agree on the date and direct player-for-player structure. Loughery then became a long-term Baltimore guard, playing 589 regular-season games for the franchise from 1963-64 through 1970-71, including five straight seasons of at least 15.9 points per game and a peak of 22.6 in 1968-69. Staverman played only 20 games for Detroit before the Pistons moved him again in a December three-team trade. Baltimore later retained additional value by including Loughery with Fred Carter in the 1971 trade for Archie Clark and a second-round pick. The realized basketball return decisively favors Baltimore.

Philadelphia sold Len Chappell's player rights to the New York Knicks on October 21, 1963 for cash. Basketball-Reference's 76ers, Knicks and league transaction ledgers, along with Chappell's player history, all agree on the date and sale structure. Chappell was already an NBA veteran rather than an unsigned draft-rights prospect, so the legacy asset type is corrected to an established player-rights sale. He gave New York 167 regular-season games across three seasons, highlighted by 78 games at 17.3 points and 9.8 rebounds in 1963-64. His role declined over the next two years, and Chicago selected him in the 1966 expansion draft, ending New York's control. Philadelphia received an undisclosed cash payment. The missing amount prevents a precise financial comparison, but Chappell's three seasons and especially his first Knicks year give New York a clear realized basketball advantage.

New York traded Richie Guerin to the St. Louis Hawks on October 18, 1963 for cash and a 1964 second-round pick that became No. 15 selection Howard "Howie" Komives. Basketball-Reference's Knicks, Hawks and league ledgers agree on the date and structure, while Pro Sports Transactions reports the cash payment as $50,000. Guerin gave St. Louis 295 regular-season games over four seasons, generally scoring 13 to 15 points per game with more than four assists, and later became the club's player-coach. Komives gave New York 335 regular-season games before his December 1968 trade, including three early seasons averaging 12.2, 13.9 and 15.7 points. He was then included with Walt Bellamy in the deal that brought Dave DeBusschere to New York. The realized player value is much closer than the legacy grades suggested, with New York holding a modest edge from more games, the reported cash and retained downstream utility.

Boston purchased Willie Naulls' player rights from the San Francisco Warriors on September 4, 1963 for cash. Basketball-Reference's Celtics, Warriors and league transaction ledgers, along with Naulls' player history, all agree on the date and sale structure. Naulls then became a productive Boston rotation forward for three seasons, playing 220 regular-season games and averaging between 9.8 and 10.7 points per game each year while logging roughly 18 to 21 minutes per night. San Francisco received an undisclosed cash payment after using Naulls for only 47 games following the prior Tom Gola trade. The cash amount prevents a precise financial comparison, but three full seasons of useful rotation production give Boston a clear realized basketball advantage. The legacy F grade for San Francisco is too harsh without knowing the sale price.

Philadelphia acquired Hubie White from the San Francisco Warriors for John Windsor on August 14, 1963, one day earlier than the legacy TradeVerdicts date. Basketball-Reference's Warriors, 76ers and league transaction ledgers, along with both player histories, agree on the August 14 date and straight player-for-player structure. White played 23 games for Philadelphia in 1963-64, averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game. Windsor played 11 games for San Francisco that season, averaging 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game, and those were the only NBA games of his career. Philadelphia received the larger realized NBA return, but both sides were brief reserve stints, so the historical grade gap should remain modest rather than treating the exchange as a major win.

Atlanta acquired Woody Sauldsberry from Zephyrs in exchange for Barney Cable.

Boston sold Jack Foley's player rights to the New York Knicks on January 22, 1963 for cash. Basketball-Reference's Celtics, Knicks and league transaction ledgers, along with Foley's player history, all agree on the date and sale structure. Foley had appeared in five games for Boston as a rookie, averaging 6.4 points in 9.2 minutes per game. After the sale he played only six regular-season games for New York, averaging 3.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 6.2 minutes per game, and never appeared in another NBA season. Because Boston's cash return is not identified in the public transaction records and New York received only six games of low-minute production, the evidence does not support a responsible winner or grade.