Milwaukee and Baltimore Made a Five-Player Swap
Milwaukee traded Don Boven, Pete Darcey and George McLeod to Baltimore on January 2, 1953 for Stan Miasek and Dave Minor. Basketball-Reference's 1952-53 league transaction ledger gives that exact five-player structure. The source-backed review also fixes a serious identity defect in the legacy TradeVerdicts record: the third outgoing Hawk was George McLeod, a 1952 Milwaukee draft pick, not George McCloud. The bad spelling had incorrectly attached the 1953 transaction to the much later NBA player George McCloud. That false edge is removed and reassigned to a new canonical George McLeod identity.
Miasek and Minor Gave Milwaukee 80 Games
Miasek and Minor both became meaningful rotation players for the Hawks during the remainder of the season. Miasek appeared in 40 Milwaukee games, averaging 11.0 points and 7.7 rebounds. Minor also played 40 games, averaging 32.7 minutes, 8.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Together they supplied 80 post-trade appearances and filled substantial roles for a Milwaukee team trying to stabilize its lineup. Neither player remained in the NBA beyond 1952-53, so the value was concentrated in that season, but it was real and immediate.
Baltimore Received Less Direct Production
Baltimore's three-player package produced much less direct on-court value. Boven played 23 games for the Bullets, averaging 14.3 minutes and 4.6 points, before Baltimore moved him again on February 16. McLeod made his NBA debut after the trade and appeared in 10 games, totaling 85 minutes and 12 points; those were the only NBA games of his career. Darcey had already appeared in 12 games for Milwaukee, but Basketball-Reference credits him with no Baltimore appearances after the transaction and no later NBA season.
Immediate Rotation Value Favors the Hawks
Milwaukee received the stronger realized package. The Hawks got 80 combined games from two veterans who both handled regular rotation roles, while Baltimore received 33 combined appearances from Boven and McLeod plus a non-playing Darcey. Boven's subsequent trade value keeps Baltimore's side from being a complete miss, yet it does not offset the larger body of useful production Milwaukee received immediately. The source-backed evidence supports a moderate Hawks advantage rather than the legacy even-grade treatment.
Final Verdict
Hawks Win — Milwaukee B, Baltimore C. Milwaukee traded Don Boven, Pete Darcey and George McLeod to the Baltimore Bullets for Stan Miasek and Dave Minor on January 2, 1953. Basketball-Reference's league transaction log confirms that exact five-player exchange and corrects the legacy TradeVerdicts spelling 'George McCloud' to George McLeod. Miasek and Minor each played 40 games for Milwaukee after the trade, giving the Hawks 80 combined appearances and substantial rotation minutes. Baltimore received 23 games from Boven, 10 from McLeod and no NBA appearances from Darcey after the deal, although Boven retained trade value and moved again in February.