1964 NBA Trades

St. Louis acquired Bill McGill from New York on October 18, 1964 for a 1965 second-round pick that became Hal Blevins. Basketball-Reference's Hawks, Knicks and league transaction ledgers all agree on that two-asset structure and do not list the cash component preserved in the legacy TradeVerdicts import. McGill played 16 games for St. Louis in 1964-65, averaging 2.5 points in 6.0 minutes per game, before the Lakers signed him in January 1965. New York used the acquired pick at No. 17 on Blevins, who never appeared in the NBA. The realized return was modest on both sides, but St. Louis got the only NBA production tied directly to the deal.

New York sold the player rights to Al Butler to Baltimore on October 17, 1964, one day later than the legacy TradeVerdicts date. Basketball-Reference's Knicks, Bullets and league transaction ledgers agree on October 17 and on a rights-sale structure. Butler then played 25 games for Baltimore in 1964-65, averaging 2.4 points in 6.9 minutes per game. That is limited production, but it is a real on-court return from the acquired rights. New York received undisclosed cash and no traceable downstream basketball asset in the public record. Baltimore therefore holds only a small realized-value edge rather than the legacy Knicks-win framing.

St. Louis sold the player rights to Jerry Grote to Philadelphia on August 26, 1964. Basketball-Reference's Hawks, 76ers and league transaction ledgers all describe the move as a rights sale, so the legacy cash-for-rights structure is supported even though the amount was not disclosed. Grote never appeared in an NBA game for Philadelphia. His only NBA season came with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played 11 games in 1964-65 and averaged 1.3 points in 3.0 minutes per game. With no documented 76ers production or downstream basketball asset from the acquired rights, St. Louis holds only a modest realized-value edge for converting a dormant asset into cash.

Cincinnati sold the player rights to 1964 third-round pick Steve Courtin to Baltimore on August 26, 1964. The Royals, Bullets and NBA transaction ledgers all agree on the date and rights-sale structure. Courtin never appeared in an NBA game for Baltimore. Philadelphia later signed him as a free agent on January 22, 1965, and all 24 games of his one-season NBA career came with the 76ers. Baltimore therefore received no measurable on-court value from the purchased rights, while Cincinnati at least converted a draft asset it did not use into undisclosed cash. The cash amount is unknown, so the realized edge belongs to Cincinnati but should remain modest.

Baltimore and Detroit made their eight-player blockbuster on June 18, 1964, not June 9 as the legacy TradeVerdicts record stated. The Bullets acquired Bob Ferry, Bailey Howell, Don Ohl and the rights to Les Hunter and Wali Jones for Terry Dischinger, Don Kojis and Rod Thorn. Baltimore received the deeper realized return: Howell produced 158 games at star-level scoring and rebounding, Ohl supplied 247 games with three seasons above 18 points per game, and Ferry added 260 games of frontcourt depth. Detroit still received substantial value from Dischinger, who played 452 games for the Pistons around a two-year military absence, plus shorter Kojis and Thorn runs. Baltimore wins, but Detroit's return was far from a failure.

Detroit sold Darrall Imhoff's player rights to the Los Angeles Lakers on April 16, 1964. The Lakers turned that cash purchase into four full seasons of frontcourt value: Imhoff played 316 regular-season games for Los Angeles, including 81 games at 10.7 points and 13.3 rebounds in 1966-67 and 82 games at 9.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in 1967-68. His value lasted beyond those seasons because Los Angeles later included him with Jerry Chambers and Archie Clark in the July 1968 trade that brought Wilt Chamberlain from Philadelphia. Detroit's return was cash with no traceable basketball asset, so the realized-value gap is decisive.