Tri-Cities Swapped George Nostrand for Gene Vance
On December 20, 1949, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks traded George Nostrand to the Chicago Stags for Gene Vance. Basketball-Reference's Tri-Cities and Chicago transaction pages agree on the date and players, and the league transaction log records the same straight swap. That evidence corrects three problems in the legacy Atlanta-franchise intake record: the trade was dated December 19, Vance was labeled as draft rights, and cash was listed as part of Tri-Cities' return. None of those details appears in the authoritative transaction records.
Vance Became a Multi-Season Blackhawks Regular
Vance stepped directly into a meaningful role. He played 35 games for Tri-Cities in 1949-50, averaged 8.7 points and 3.5 assists, shot .338 from the field and scored 306 points. He also appeared in all three playoff games and averaged 6.3 points and 3.0 assists. Vance returned in 1950-51 for 29 games, averaging 4.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Across his first two Blackhawks seasons after the trade, he supplied 64 regular-season games and 445 points.
Nostrand Barely Helped Chicago
Nostrand's Chicago value was much smaller. He appeared in 36 Stags games in 1949-50, averaged 2.6 points and 0.3 assists, and shot .296 from the field. The one-game Tri-Cities line on his season ledger reflects the brief stop between Boston and Chicago; after the December 20 swap he remained with the Stags for the rest of the season. Chicago finished 40-28 and made the playoffs, so the weak individual return did not derail a strong team.
The Player-for-Player Gap Is Clear
The realized-value gap is clear. Vance gave Tri-Cities a 35-game first season at 8.7 points and 3.5 assists, returned the following year and remained an active rotation player. Nostrand gave Chicago 36 games at 2.6 points and then left the NBA. The Stags were good enough that they did not need a large return from the deal to remain competitive, but hindsight grading focuses on the asset value each club actually received. Tri-Cities obtained the younger, more productive and longer-lasting player.
Final Verdict
Blackhawks Win — Tri-Cities A, Chicago D+. Tri-Cities traded George Nostrand to the Chicago Stags for Gene Vance on December 20, 1949. The authoritative Tri-Cities, Chicago and league transaction logs show a straight player-for-player trade on December 20, correcting a legacy December 19 intake record that had incorrectly labeled Vance as draft rights and added cash. Vance became a regular for the Blackhawks, averaging 8.7 points and 3.5 assists in 35 games that season and returning for 29 games in 1950-51.