Boston and Baltimore Swapped Active Scorers
On February 9, 1948, the Boston Celtics traded Connie Simmons to the original Baltimore Bullets for Mike Bloom. Basketball-Reference records the same exchange on Boston's, Baltimore's and the league's transaction pages, and executive records for Walter Brown and Bill Dyer agree on the date and players involved. Both players were established BAA contributors when the deal happened. Bloom had averaged 11.1 points in 34 games for Baltimore, while Simmons had averaged 7.8 points in 32 games for Boston.
Simmons Exploded During Baltimore’s Title Run
Simmons immediately became more productive in Baltimore. He averaged 10.6 points in 13 regular-season games after the trade, improving from 7.8 in Boston, and the value increased dramatically in the playoffs. Simmons appeared in all 11 postseason games for the Bullets and averaged 17.1 points, the highest scoring rate on the championship roster. Baltimore won the Western Division tiebreaker, beat New York and Chicago, then defeated Philadelphia 4-2 in the BAA Finals.
Bloom Helped Boston in a Shorter Window
Bloom was productive in a shorter window. He played 14 regular-season games for Boston, averaged 9.2 points and shot .272 from the field, then averaged 12.0 points across three playoff games. That helped the Celtics reach the postseason despite a 20-28 regular-season record. The limitation is duration. Boston sold Bloom's player rights to Minneapolis on August 30, 1948, so his Celtics tenure ended after only those 17 combined regular-season and playoff appearances.
Playoff Impact Creates the Decisive Gap
Both teams received useful short-term scoring, which keeps Boston's side from being treated as a failure. Bloom actually raised his scoring rate in the playoffs and gave the Celtics a legitimate offensive option during the final stretch of the season. Simmons, however, became one of the most important scorers on the league champion.
Final Verdict
Bullets Win — Baltimore A+, Boston B. Baltimore acquired Connie Simmons from Boston for Mike Bloom on February 9, 1948, and the trade became part of the Bullets' championship run. Simmons averaged 10.6 points in 13 regular-season games after the deal, then jumped to 17.1 points across all 11 playoff games as Baltimore won the 1948 BAA title. He followed with 13.0 points per game for the Bullets in 1948-49.