St. Louis and Rochester Exchanged Four Players
The legacy Atlanta record describes a January 8, 1956 trade in which St. Louis sent Dick Ricketts and Chris Harris to Rochester for Jack Coleman and Jack McMahon. RealGM's league transaction history supports the four-player structure but splits the postings: Harris is listed as acquired by Rochester on January 8, while Ricketts, Coleman and McMahon are listed on January 9. Basketball-Reference's team transaction pages omit the swap entirely, even though its season splits confirm that all four players changed clubs.
Coleman and McMahon Became Long-Term Hawks
Coleman and McMahon became durable Hawks pieces. Coleman played 41 St. Louis games after the trade in 1955-56 and then 72 games in each of the next two seasons. Across his three Hawks seasons he appeared in 185 regular-season games and remained with the franchise through the 1958 championship. McMahon supplied even more longevity: 36 games after the trade, then 72 games in each of the next three seasons before a final 25-game St. Louis season in 1959-60.
Ricketts Still Gave the Royals Three Useful Seasons
Ricketts was a meaningful return rather than a throw-in. The 1955 first overall pick played 39 Rochester games after the deal, then 72 in 1956-57 and another 72 after the franchise moved to Cincinnati in 1957-58. His Royals-family total reached 183 games, with 9.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game across that run. Harris added 26 games in 1955-56 but did not play another NBA season. Rochester therefore received one legitimate multi-year frontcourt contributor plus a short-term reserve.
Two Durable Pieces Put St. Louis Ahead
Both clubs extracted real value, which makes the old D+ treatment for Rochester too harsh. The difference is package depth and longevity. Ricketts gave the Royals three useful seasons, but St. Louis received two multi-year contributors whose combined Hawks tenure exceeded 450 regular-season games and included the franchise's 1958 championship season. Coleman remained a productive frontcourt piece, while McMahon became a long-term guard and playmaker. That cumulative return gives the Hawks the stronger outcome without turning the deal into a failure for Rochester.
Final Verdict
Hawks Win — St. Louis A, Rochester B. The St. Louis Hawks and Rochester Royals completed a four-player exchange in early January 1956, with St. Louis receiving Jack Coleman and Jack McMahon while Rochester received Dick Ricketts and Chris Harris. RealGM splits the transaction postings across January 8 and January 9, while the legacy Atlanta source record uses January 8; Basketball-Reference's team transaction pages omit the swap even though its season statistics confirm all four players changed teams. Coleman and McMahon became multi-year Hawks contributors and remained with the franchise through the 1958 championship season.