Boston purchased Kenny Sailors' player rights from the Denver Nuggets for cash on June 22, 1950. Denver, Boston, league and Red Auerbach transaction records all identify a player-rights sale, correcting the legacy draft-rights classification. Sailors had just averaged 17.3 points and 4.0 assists in 57 games for Denver. His Boston stint was much smaller: 10 games at 1.8 points before the Celtics traded Sailors and Brady Walker to Baltimore for Dick Mehen on December 1. Boston therefore recovered some downstream trade value, but the direct on-court return was limited and the cash price is unknown.
On June 22, 1950, the Denver Nuggets sold Kenny Sailors' player rights to the Boston Celtics for cash. Denver's transaction page, Boston's transaction page, the 1949-50 league transaction log and Red Auerbach's executive record all describe the same player-rights sale. The legacy intake classified Sailors as draft rights, but he was a veteran professional who had just completed a full NBA season for Denver.
Sailors did not reproduce his Denver role in Boston. He appeared in only 10 Celtics games during 1950-51, averaging 1.8 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists while shooting .160 from the field. His value to Boston therefore came more from the asset chain than from direct production. On December 1, 1950, the Celtics traded Sailors and Brady Walker to the Baltimore Bullets for Dick Mehen. Mehen played seven games for Boston before being traded to Fort Wayne for Bob Harris.
Denver received cash after a season in which Sailors had been its leading-level scorer, but the franchise was leaving the NBA after an 11-51 campaign. Selling player rights during the shutdown process had obvious practical value for an organization with no next NBA season to build toward. The limitation is the same one that affects many cash sales from this era: the amount is not preserved.
Boston's direct basketball return was weak. Sailors went from 17.3 points per game in Denver to 1.8 in 10 Boston appearances, and the Celtics moved him before December. Still, his rights remained tradable and helped Boston acquire Mehen, who was then turned into another player. Denver, by contrast, received undisclosed cash as the franchise exited the league.
Celtics Win — Boston B-, Denver C+. Boston purchased Kenny Sailors' player rights from the Denver Nuggets for cash on June 22, 1950. Denver, Boston, league and Red Auerbach transaction records all identify a player-rights sale, correcting the legacy draft-rights classification. Sailors had just averaged 17.3 points and 4.0 assists in 57 games for Denver. His Boston stint was much smaller: 10 games at 1.8 points before the Celtics traded Sailors and Brady Walker to Baltimore for Dick Mehen on December 1.