Tri-Cities Exchanged Red Owens for Walt Kirk
On December 30, 1949, the Anderson Packers traded Walt Kirk to the Tri-Cities Blackhawks for James 'Red' Owens, who appears as Jim Owens in the legacy Atlanta-franchise intake. Basketball-Reference's Anderson and Tri-Cities transaction pages record the same player-for-player exchange, and Anderson executive Doxie Moore's transaction register independently lists Kirk for Owens on the same date. Both guards were already established rotation players that season.
Kirk’s Role Grew with the Blackhawks
Kirk's production rose after the move. He played 32 regular-season games for Tri-Cities and averaged 7.2 points plus 1.9 assists, up from 4.6 points in Anderson. His field-goal percentage remained modest at .280, but the Blackhawks received a larger scoring role and more offensive volume than Kirk had supplied to the Packers. Tri-Cities finished 29-35 and reached the Western Division playoffs. Kirk appeared in all three postseason games against Anderson, though his playoff scoring dropped to 1.7 points per game.
Owens Gave Anderson a Smaller Return
Owens gave the Packers 35 regular-season games after the trade. His scoring fell from 4.8 points with Tri-Cities to 3.3 points with Anderson, while he averaged 1.2 assists and shot .291 from the field. Anderson did not need major individual production from him to remain competitive. The Packers finished 37-27, beat Tri-Cities two games to one in the Western Division semifinals, then beat Indianapolis before losing to Minneapolis in the NBA semifinals.
The More Productive Post-Trade Run Favors Tri-Cities
The trade was useful rather than transformative for both clubs. Kirk gave Tri-Cities 32 games at 7.2 points per night and assumed a more meaningful scoring role after the swap. Owens gave Anderson 35 games at 3.3 points and joined a team that made a deeper postseason run.
Final Verdict
Blackhawks Win — Tri-Cities B+, Anderson B-. Tri-Cities traded James 'Red' Owens, listed as Jim Owens in the legacy intake, to the Anderson Packers for Walt Kirk on December 30, 1949. Kirk had averaged 4.6 points in 26 Anderson games, then improved to 7.2 points across 32 games for the Blackhawks. Owens moved the other direction after averaging 4.8 points in 26 Tri-Cities games and produced 3.3 points across 35 games for Anderson.