Boston Swapped Tony Kappen for Moe Becker
Boston and Pittsburgh made a straight player-for-player exchange on December 12, 1946, sending Tony Kappen to the Ironmen and Moe Becker to the Celtics. The team transaction pages and Walter Brown's executive ledger agree on the move. Both clubs were first-year BAA teams still sorting through their rotations, so the most useful hindsight comparison is what each player actually supplied after the swap rather than projecting modern trade-market value onto a 1946 transaction.
Becker's Boston Run Lasted Only Six Games
Becker had averaged 6.4 points in 17 appearances for Pittsburgh before the trade, but the Celtics did not get a comparable role from him. He played six games for Boston, averaged 2.2 points and shot .227 from the field before later appearing for Detroit. Boston finished 22-38, and Becker never became a meaningful part of the Celtics' season. The B- reflects how little direct playing value the club received after making the exchange.
Kappen Became a Regular Scorer for Pittsburgh
Kappen provided the clearer return. After averaging 4.1 points across 18 Boston games, he played 41 games for Pittsburgh and averaged 7.6 points. He scored 310 points for the Ironmen and made 84.6 percent of his free throws. Pittsburgh still went 15-45, so the trade did not fix the team, and Kappen's .231 field-goal percentage limits how aggressively the result should be praised. Even so, 41 games of regular rotation use clearly exceeded Boston's six-game return.
Pittsburgh Won the Swap Without Transforming Its Season
Neither side found a long-term franchise piece, which keeps the grade difference moderate. Boston took a reasonable chance on a player who had scored more before the trade, but the experiment ended quickly. Pittsburgh acquired a player who stayed in the lineup for most of the remaining season and carried a larger scoring role. That is enough for the Ironmen to hold the historical edge even though their overall team results remained poor.
Final Verdict
Pittsburgh Ironmen Win — Pittsburgh B+, Boston B-. Kappen gave Pittsburgh 41 games, 310 points and a 7.6-point scoring average after the trade, while Becker's Boston stint lasted only six games at 2.2 points per game. The Ironmen were still a 15-win team and Kappen was inefficient from the field, so the outcome is a clear but not dramatic Pittsburgh win.