Trade Verdicts
NBA Trade Verdict

Pistons Win

St. Louis traded John Tresvant and Chico Vaughn to Detroit for Rod Thorn on December 24, 1965. The Hawks received 113 regular-season games from Thorn before Seattle selected him in the 1967 expansion draft. Detroit received the larger immediate return: Vaughn played 88 Pistons games over two seasons, while Tresvant played 169 and developed into a double-digit scorer and strong rebounder. Tresvant also retained downstream value, joining Tom Van Arsdale in the February 1968 trade that brought Happy Hairston and Jim Fox to Detroit. That combination of deeper production and later trade value reverses the legacy Hawks-win framing.

December 24, 1965 Atlanta Hawks / Detroit Pistons Record confidence: High

Atlanta Hawks Received

Detroit Pistons Received

Atlanta Hawks

B+

Detroit Pistons

C

Trade Analysis

St. Louis Sent Two Players to Detroit for Rod Thorn

The Hawks traded John Tresvant and Chico Vaughn to the Pistons for Rod Thorn on December 24, 1965. The transaction placed one incoming player in St. Louis against a two-player Detroit package.

Thorn Gave the Hawks 113 Games

Thorn played 113 regular-season games for St. Louis before Seattle selected him in the 1967 expansion draft. That was meaningful roster value, but it did not create a later Hawks trade asset.

Detroit Received More Production and a Later Trade Piece

Vaughn played 88 Pistons games over two seasons, while Tresvant appeared in 169 and developed into a double-digit scorer and strong rebounder. Tresvant was later included with Tom Van Arsdale in the deal that brought Happy Hairston and Jim Fox to Detroit.

The Larger Combined Return Favors Detroit

Detroit’s A- against St. Louis’ B- reflects both greater immediate volume and additional downstream trade value. Thorn was useful for the Hawks, but the Pistons extracted more from the two-player package.

Final Verdict

Pistons Win — St. Louis B-, Detroit A-. St. Louis traded John Tresvant and Chico Vaughn to Detroit for Rod Thorn on December 24, 1965.

Research sources (6)