Fort Wayne acquired Charlie Black from the Indianapolis Jets for Leo Mogus and cash on February 3, 1949. The legacy intake had the deal one day early; Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, the league transaction log and Carl Bennett's executive register all use February 3. Black gave the Pistons 17 games at 7.6 points per game and then averaged 10.6 points in 36 Fort Wayne games the next season. Mogus was excellent immediately for Indianapolis, averaging 15.9 points in 19 games, and the Jets also received cash. Indianapolis gets the slight historical edge on the strength of Mogus' short-term production plus the financial return.
On February 3, 1949, the Fort Wayne Pistons traded Leo Mogus and cash to the Indianapolis Jets for Charlie Black. Fort Wayne's, Indianapolis' and the league's transaction logs agree on that date, as does Carl Bennett's executive register. The legacy TradeVerdicts intake had the transaction on February 2, so the canonical date requires a one-day correction.
Black gave Fort Wayne 17 games in the remainder of the 1948-49 BAA season. He averaged 7.6 points and 1.5 assists, shot .317 from the field and generated 1.0 win share in that stint. His value carried into the new NBA the following season. Black appeared in 36 Fort Wayne games in 1949-50 and scored 382 points, an average of 10.6 per game, before the Pistons later traded him to the Anderson Packers in January 1950.
Mogus was one of the Jets' most productive players after arriving. He played 19 games for Indianapolis, averaged 15.9 points and 3.9 assists, and shot .364 from the field. Basketball-Reference credits him with 3.3 win shares in that short Jets stint. Those numbers were a major jump from his 8.7 points per game in 20 Fort Wayne appearances earlier that season. Indianapolis also received cash, although the amount is not preserved in the reviewed public sources.
The trade divides neatly between stronger immediate value and greater continuity. Indianapolis received the best short-term player outcome: Mogus became a 15.9-point scorer immediately, and the Jets also received money. Fort Wayne received the longer useful tenure because Black remained into 1949-50 and became a double-digit scorer before another trade. Neither side obtained a franchise cornerstone.
Jets Win — Fort Wayne B+, Indianapolis A-. Fort Wayne acquired Charlie Black from the Indianapolis Jets for Leo Mogus and cash on February 3, 1949. The legacy intake had the deal one day early; Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, the league transaction log and Carl Bennett's executive register all use February 3. Black gave the Pistons 17 games at 7.6 points per game and then averaged 10.6 points in 36 Fort Wayne games the next season. Mogus was excellent immediately for Indianapolis, averaging 15.9 points in 19 games, and the Jets also received cash.