Syracuse transferred John McConathy's draft rights to the Milwaukee Hawks in 1951. The legacy archive dated the move October 30 and described a cash sale, but RealGM's player and Milwaukee transaction histories both place the rights acquisition on September 1, the same day McConathy signed with the Hawks. Basketball-Reference confirms Syracuse drafted him fifth overall and that he played his entire 11-game NBA career for Milwaukee, averaging 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds. Because the surviving sources disagree on the exact consideration, the record is corrected to September 1 while the return is treated cautiously rather than preserving an unsupported cash amount.
Syracuse drafted John McConathy fifth overall in the 1951 NBA Draft, but he never played for the Nationals. RealGM's player transaction history and Milwaukee Hawks transaction ledger both record the Hawks acquiring McConathy's draft rights from Syracuse on September 1, 1951, the same date he signed his Milwaukee contract. That conflicts with the legacy TradeVerdicts intake, which used October 30 and described the return as cash.
McConathy made his NBA debut on November 3 and appeared in 11 games for the 1951-52 Hawks. He averaged 1.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 9.6 minutes per game, shooting .138 from the field. His entire NBA career consisted of those 11 appearances. RealGM records Milwaukee placing him on waivers December 1 and his becoming a free agent December 3.
The precise Syracuse return cannot be established confidently from the reviewed public record. The legacy Atlanta/Hawks intake called the transaction a cash sale, but the more specific RealGM histories simply describe Milwaukee acquiring McConathy's draft rights in a trade and do not identify the consideration. Rather than convert the legacy cash field into a factual claim, the source-backed review treats Syracuse's side as unresolved consideration.
The realized basketball stakes were minor. Milwaukee obtained an NBA player, but McConathy lasted only 11 games and produced little statistically. Syracuse surrendered rights to a first-round pick who never became part of its rotation, and the exact return is not preserved in the stronger public sources. That supports an effectively even hindsight result. The important correction is archival rather than evaluative: September 1 is better supported than October 30, and the consideration should be described as unresolved instead of asserting cash as settled fact.
Even Trade — Milwaukee C, Syracuse C. Syracuse transferred John McConathy's draft rights to the Milwaukee Hawks in 1951. The legacy archive dated the move October 30 and described a cash sale, but RealGM's player and Milwaukee transaction histories both place the rights acquisition on September 1, the same day McConathy signed with the Hawks. Basketball-Reference confirms Syracuse drafted him fifth overall and that he played his entire 11-game NBA career for Milwaukee, averaging 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds.