St. Louis traded the draft rights to Wayne Embry, Jim Palmer, Darrell Floyd, Ken Sidle and Gerry Calvert to the Cincinnati Royals on August 5, 1958 for Clyde Lovellette, who was delivered as the player to be named later in September. Basketball-Reference's league and Ben Kerner executive ledgers place the agreement on August 5, while the St. Louis and Cincinnati team pages record the completed Lovellette transfer on September 16. Lovellette gave the Hawks four strong seasons, 245 games and two All-Star selections. Cincinnati received even more long-term volume from Embry alone: 603 games across eight seasons and five All-Star selections, plus 87 games from Palmer. The verified hindsight result is a high-value trade for both clubs with a slight Royals edge in total longevity.
St. Louis agreed on August 5, 1958 to send the rights to Wayne Embry, Jim Palmer, Darrell Floyd, Ken Sidle and Gerry Calvert to Cincinnati for Clyde Lovellette. Basketball-Reference's league transaction page and Ben Kerner executive ledger use the August 5 date, while the St. Louis and Cincinnati team transaction pages record September 16, the date Lovellette was formally delivered as the player to be named later.
Lovellette immediately became a major frontcourt scorer for the Hawks. He played 70 games in 1958-59, 68 in 1959-60, 67 in 1960-61 and 40 in 1961-62. Across four St. Louis seasons he appeared in 245 games, averaged 19.3 points and 9.6 rebounds, made the All-Star team in 1960 and 1961, and received MVP votes in 1960-61. He also remained a substantial playoff contributor during a period when St. Louis returned to the NBA Finals in 1960 and 1961. For a contender built around Bob Pettit, acquiring an established All-NBA-level center produced immediate win-now value.
The Royals received the longer-lived package. Embry became their starting center almost immediately and stayed for eight seasons, playing 603 regular-season games from 1958-59 through 1965-66. He made five straight All-Star teams from 1961 through 1965 and became one of the franchise's foundational frontcourt players. Palmer also supplied 87 Cincinnati games across two seasons, including 67 games as a rookie at 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Both clubs realized substantial value, which makes this one of the stronger two-sided trades in the early archive. St. Louis received the better immediate player and four seasons of high-end production during a championship-contending window. Cincinnati received far more longevity through Embry, plus useful early production from Palmer. Lovellette's peak Hawks impact keeps the difference narrow, but Embry's eight-year tenure and five All-Star selections give the Royals the slightly stronger total return.
Royals Edge — St. Louis A-, Cincinnati A. St. Louis traded the draft rights to Wayne Embry, Jim Palmer, Darrell Floyd, Ken Sidle and Gerry Calvert to the Cincinnati Royals on August 5, 1958 for Clyde Lovellette, who was delivered as the player to be named later in September. Basketball-Reference's league and Ben Kerner executive ledgers place the agreement on August 5, while the St. Louis and Cincinnati team pages record the completed Lovellette transfer on September 16. Lovellette gave the Hawks four strong seasons, 245 games and two All-Star selections.