Philadelphia sold Bob McNeill's player rights to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash in December 1961. Basketball-Reference's Warriors, Lakers and league ledgers confirm the rights sale but preserve only the month, not an exact day, so the canonical December 1 date is retained only as an approximate sort position. McNeill had already played 21 games for Philadelphia that season after the Warriors acquired his rights from Chicago in May. He then appeared in 29 regular-season games for Los Angeles, averaging 1.8 points and 1.4 assists in 7.9 minutes per game, plus five playoff appearances. The cash amount Philadelphia received is unknown, and McNeill's Lakers contribution was limited, so the source-backed record remains Insufficient Evidence rather than forcing a winner.
No separate canonical grade is recorded for Golden State Warriors.
Philadelphia sold Bob McNeill's player rights to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash in December 1961. Basketball-Reference's league ledger and both team transaction pages agree on the direction and player, but they do not preserve an exact day; each lists the transaction only as occurring sometime in December. The canonical archive keeps December 1 as a sorting placeholder, but the source-backed record should treat the day as approximate rather than exact.
McNeill did reach the court for the Lakers. He appeared in 29 regular-season games during 1961-62, averaging 1.8 points, 1.4 assists and 0.8 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game. He also appeared in five playoff games as Los Angeles advanced to the NBA Finals. That is real value, but it is limited reserve production rather than a rotation-changing acquisition. McNeill never played another NBA season after 1961-62. The Lakers therefore purchased a short-term depth guard whose contribution was measurable but modest.
The Warriors received cash, but the amount is not identified in the public transaction ledgers located for this review. Philadelphia had already used McNeill in 21 regular-season games earlier in 1961-62, where he averaged 4.1 points and 2.3 assists in 10.1 minutes per game. By selling his rights in December, the Warriors converted a reserve player they were no longer using into a financial return. Without the sale price, however, there is no responsible way to compare that cash with the 29 games Los Angeles later received.
This is not a case where player production is large enough to overwhelm an unknown cash term. Los Angeles received 29 low-minute regular-season games and five playoff appearances. Philadelphia received an unpriced cash payment after already getting 21 games from McNeill before the sale. The exact date is also only month-level in the surviving ledgers. Those limitations do not undermine the transaction's existence, but they do prevent a precise retrospective value judgment. A forced Lakers win would overstate 29 reserve appearances, while a forced Philadelphia win would assume too much about an unknown payment.
Insufficient Evidence. The December 1961 Philadelphia-to-Los Angeles rights sale is verified, McNeill's 29 Lakers regular-season games and five playoff appearances are verified, and the player identity is secure. The exact day and cash amount are not. Because the on-court return was modest and the financial term is material, no winner or team grades should be assigned. Confidence is high on the transaction direction and player outcome, with limited confidence only on the exact day and relative financial value. The verdict reflects only verified transaction terms and realized team value.