St. Louis Bought Bob Schafer from Philadelphia
Philadelphia sold Bob Schafer's player rights to St. Louis on December 3, 1955. Basketball-Reference lists the same sale on the Warriors, Hawks and league-wide 1955-56 transaction pages. The legacy TradeVerdicts asset labels the move as 1955 draft rights, but Schafer had already made his NBA debut and played 12 games for Philadelphia before the sale. He was therefore a current player whose rights were being transferred, not an unsigned draft-rights prospect. The canonical asset is corrected accordingly.
Schafer Supplied 42 Games and Playoff Depth
Schafer became a regular reserve for the Hawks for the remainder of the season. He appeared in 42 games, totaling 496 minutes, 193 points, 58 rebounds and 44 assists. His per-game line of 11.8 minutes, 4.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist was modest, but the Hawks also used him in four playoff games during a run that reached the Western Division Finals. The return ended after that season. Schafer later played 11 games for Syracuse in 1956-57, the final NBA appearances of his career.
Philadelphia Received Undisclosed Cash
The Warriors received cash, but the amount is not preserved in the reviewed transaction logs. Philadelphia had used Schafer sparingly for 12 games and then converted his remaining rights into consideration. The opportunity cost was 42 St. Louis regular-season games and a small playoff role, not a long-term starter or a player who later generated another major asset. That makes Philadelphia's side more defensible than the legacy F grade suggested.
A Short Useful Hawks Stint Creates a Narrow Edge
St. Louis received more measurable basketball value because Schafer supplied 42 games and playoff depth, but the scale and duration were limited. Philadelphia received legitimate but undisclosed cash for a player it had barely used and who had only one additional NBA season after leaving the Hawks. The appropriate source-backed result is a narrow Hawks advantage, not a major long-term win.
Final Verdict
Hawks Win — St. Louis B-, Philadelphia C+. Philadelphia sold Bob Schafer's player rights to the St. Louis Hawks on December 3, 1955. Basketball-Reference's Philadelphia, St. Louis and league transaction logs agree on the sale and show that the legacy TradeVerdicts draft-rights classification was wrong: Schafer had already played 12 NBA games for Philadelphia before the transaction. He then appeared in 42 regular-season games for St. Louis, averaging 11.8 minutes, 4.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist, plus four playoff games. Schafer left the Hawks after the season and finished his NBA career with 11 Syracuse games in 1956-57. St.