Atlanta acquired Barney Cable; Archie Dees from Packers (trade including Ralph Davis, Fred LaCour, player to be named later was disallowed by NBA Board of Governors) in exchange for Sihugo Green; Joe Graboski; Woody Sauldsberry.
On November 21, 1961, St. Louis sent Si Green, Joe Graboski and Woody Sauldsberry to the expansion Chicago Packers for Barney Cable and Archie Dees. The source record also preserves an earlier proposed package involving Ralph Davis, Fred LaCour and a player to be named later that the NBA Board of Governors disallowed. The canonical trade therefore uses only the five-player package that actually went through.
The Packers got substantial immediate use from the deal. Si Green played 57 games for Chicago that season and averaged 13.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Woody Sauldsberry played 49 games at 11.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Graboski added 12 games before Chicago later sold his rights to Syracuse. The expansion club therefore turned two outgoing players into multiple rotation contributors.
Barney Cable became the useful part of the Hawks return, playing 52 games for St. Louis in 1961-62 and another 42 the next season before moving back to the Chicago franchise. Archie Dees appeared in only eight Hawks games after the trade. Cable had value, but the overall St. Louis return was much thinner than the volume of immediate production Chicago received from Green and Sauldsberry.
This trade is unusually clear for an early-1960s multi-player exchange because the acquired players produced meaningful NBA minutes immediately. Chicago received two major rotation pieces for its inaugural season, while St. Louis received one useful forward and a very short Dees stint. The Board-disallowed version should not be mixed into the valuation. On the completed transaction alone, Chicago realized the stronger basketball return.
Wizards Win — St. Louis D, Chicago A. The finalized five-player trade gave the Packers major immediate production from Si Green and Woody Sauldsberry, while St. Louis received a useful Barney Cable stint but little from Archie Dees.