Boston acquired Bill Sharman from the Fort Wayne Pistons for the rights to Chuck Share on April 26, 1951, correcting the legacy April 27 intake date. Sharman became a Hall of Fame guard, an eight-time All-Star and a four-time NBA champion while forming one of the defining backcourts of the early Celtics dynasty. Fort Wayne still received real value: Share played 151 games for the Pistons before a December 1953 trade sent him to Milwaukee for Max Zaslofsky, who averaged 11.0 points in 45 Fort Wayne games that season. The Pistons' return was useful, but Boston acquired the transformational player.
On April 26, 1951, the Fort Wayne Pistons traded Bill Sharman to the Boston Celtics for the rights to Chuck Share. Boston's transaction page, Fort Wayne's transaction page, the 1950-51 league transaction log and Carl Bennett's executive record all agree on April 26, correcting the legacy April 27 intake date. Share had been the first overall pick in the 1950 NBA Draft but spent 1950-51 outside the NBA.
Sharman immediately became a major Celtics piece. He played 63 games in 1951-52 and averaged 10.7 points, then grew into one of the league's premier guards. Basketball-Reference lists him as an eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, four-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer, with a career average of 17.8 points. His shooting and free-throw accuracy complemented Bob Cousy in the backcourt and made him part of the core that moved Boston from a rising team into the league's dominant late-1950s franchise.
Share was not a throwaway return. He debuted with Fort Wayne in 1951-52 and played 63 games, then 67 in 1952-53 and 21 more in 1953-54. That gave the Pistons 151 regular-season games from a young center before they converted him again. On December 21, 1953, Fort Wayne traded Share to the Milwaukee Hawks for Max Zaslofsky. Zaslofsky then appeared in 45 Pistons games that season and averaged 11.0 points. The downstream conversion materially improves Fort Wayne's side of the original deal.
Fort Wayne received legitimate multi-season value and a useful second asset, which makes a low grade inappropriate. Share became a long NBA player and later won a championship with the Hawks, while the Pistons extracted 151 games and then Zaslofsky from him. Boston still wins decisively because Sharman became a Hall of Fame guard and a central member of four championship teams. The gap is about ceiling and historical impact, not whether Fort Wayne received anything.
Celtics Win — Boston A+, Fort Wayne B+. Boston acquired Bill Sharman from the Fort Wayne Pistons for the rights to Chuck Share on April 26, 1951, correcting the legacy April 27 intake date. Sharman became a Hall of Fame guard, an eight-time All-Star and a four-time NBA champion while forming one of the defining backcourts of the early Celtics dynasty. Fort Wayne still received real value: Share played 151 games for the Pistons before a December 1953 trade sent him to Milwaukee for Max Zaslofsky, who averaged 11.0 points in 45 Fort Wayne games that season.