The Exchange
Los Angeles sold Bob Sims' player rights to St. Louis for cash in December 1961. The surviving transaction record is consistent on the direction and player but not the exact day. Basketball-Reference's Lakers page, Hawks page, league ledger and Sims' player page all list the move only as occurring sometime in December. The canonical December 5 date therefore remains useful for sorting but should not be presented as a verified exact date. The transaction also has an interesting roster-history angle: St.
St. Louis Return
Sims became a meaningful rotation guard after the sale. He played 46 regular-season games for St. Louis, averaging 9.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 25.5 minutes per game. That is far more substantial than a token rights acquisition or end-of-bench trial. Before the move, Sims had appeared in 19 Lakers games and averaged 3.3 points in only 9.0 minutes per game. The Hawks gave him a much larger role and received productive midseason minutes for most of the remaining schedule.
Los Angeles Return
The Lakers received cash, but the amount is not preserved in the public sources located for this review. Los Angeles had signed Sims as a free agent in June and used him sparingly through the first part of the season, so converting his rights into cash was a rational roster decision. The unknown payment prevents a precise economic comparison, but there is no documented player or draft asset coming back to Los Angeles. The Lakers' value is therefore entirely financial.
Hindsight Comparison
Unlike rights sales where the acquired player barely appears, Sims produced enough on-court value to support a directional result even with the cash amount missing. Forty-six games at more than 25 minutes per night is a real rotation return. St. Louis did waive Sims in June 1962, so the value did not extend into a second NBA season, and that limits how strong the win should be graded. Still, the Hawks received a meaningful half-season contributor while the Lakers received only an unquantified payment.
Final Verdict
Hawks Win, B+/C+. St. Louis receives a B+ for turning cash into 46 games of useful guard production at 25.5 minutes per night. Los Angeles receives a C+ because the Lakers monetized a player they were using in a limited role, but the amount is unknown and no basketball asset is documented. Confidence is high on the transaction direction, player identity and realized production; confidence is lower only on the exact day and financial term. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.