NBA Trade Verdict

Slight Kings Edge

The 1962-09-14 trade leans slightly toward Sacramento Kings; Los Angeles Lakers received 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) but sent Tom Hawkins.

September 14, 1962 Los Angeles Lakers / Sacramento Kings Record confidence: Medium

Los Angeles Lakers Received

Draft Pick 1963 second-round pick (#14- Jim King )

Trade Analysis

From Trade Line to Completed Outcome

On 1962-09-14, Los Angeles Lakers and Cincinnati Royals completed a transaction built around 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) and Tom Hawkins. The 1962-09-14 trade leans slightly toward Sacramento Kings; Los Angeles Lakers received 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) but sent Tom Hawkins. The useful starting point is the full exchange rather than the most recognizable name in it. Each player, pick, draft right, financial mechanism, or secondary consideration belongs in the record, but those pieces do not carry equal retrospective weight. The evaluation follows the value that actually materialized for the receiving franchises and uses the package to keep the comparison tied to this trade instead of to unrelated later moves.

Why One Side Finished Ahead

The verdict is Slight Kings Edge, and the grades place Cincinnati Royals at B and Los Angeles Lakers at B-. Los Angeles Lakers received 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) and sent Tom Hawkins in the transaction with Sacramento Kings. The counterpart retained a modest realized-value edge, reflected in the B-/B grade pairing. The evaluation is retrospective: it weighs what the players and draft assets actually became, while still considering role, age, contract timing, competitive-window fit and identifiable downstream asset conversion. That separation is important because a trade can be understandable for both sides and still finish with a clear retrospective winner. The grade gap measures completed value: player production, realized draft conversion, role, timing, and transaction consequences that the record directly connects to the exchange. It does not require every asset on the winning side to succeed; it requires the stronger side to have created more durable value than the return on the other side.

How the Better Package Paid Off: Cincinnati Royals

For Cincinnati Royals, the incoming package centered on Tom Hawkins. Trading the pick that became Jim King for Tom Hawkins worked somewhat better for Cincinnati Royals. The incoming side delivered the stronger practical return, but the gap in production, longevity or draft value remained limited. That modest difference places the transaction in the slight Kings edge tier. That perspective explains why the B grade is attached to the stronger side rather than simply to the larger package. The most substantive pieces were Tom Hawkins, and the record credits what those assets became for the franchise. Where the return included draft value or multiple components, the analysis treats conversion and actual use as part of the outcome instead of assuming that an unexercised possibility had the same value as production that reached the floor.

Where the Other Package Fell Short: Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers received 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King). Los Angeles Lakers received 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) and sent Tom Hawkins in the transaction with Sacramento Kings. The counterpart retained a modest realized-value edge, reflected in the B-/B grade pairing. The evaluation is retrospective: it weighs what the players and draft assets actually became, while still considering role, age, contract timing, competitive-window fit and identifiable downstream asset conversion. The B- grade still records the value that side obtained; it is not shorthand for 'nothing.' The comparison turns on whether 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) and the rest of the return could match the stronger completed outcome. In this trade they did not. That is why the losing side can have a defensible trade-day rationale, useful rotation value, or a legitimate asset without erasing the separation reflected in Slight Kings Edge.

Final Verdict

Slight Kings Edge. Los Angeles Lakers receive B-, while Cincinnati Royals receive B. The verdict follows the realized value of the trade: Cincinnati Royals' side, led by Tom Hawkins, finished ahead of Los Angeles Lakers' side, led by 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King). The result is not based on package length or hindsight name recognition alone. It is based on the production, draft conversion, role, timing, and asset consequences described in the underlying trade details. That evidence supports the explicit grade split and leaves enough completed-value separation to preserve Slight Kings Edge.

For Hardcore NBA Heads

Deep Dive: Why Slight Kings Edge Fits Los Angeles Lakers and Cincinnati Royals

The 1962-09-14 deal between Los Angeles Lakers and Cincinnati Royals is more useful as a completed-value study than as a one-line transaction recap. The ledger contains 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) and Tom Hawkins, but the deeper question is where the durable value landed after those pieces were used. With explicit grades of B- for Los Angeles Lakers and B for Cincinnati Royals, the review has to explain both the winner and the limit of the losing side's case. That means separating what the teams actually received from hypothetical alternatives and keeping every retrospective claim inside the documented transaction.

The Trade Details Before the Narrative

The comparison starts with what actually changed hands. Cincinnati Royals received Tom Hawkins; Los Angeles Lakers received 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King). Reading the exchange this way prevents a familiar mistake in historical trade grading: allowing one famous player or one later draft outcome to erase the rest of the package. The full set of components matters, including secondary pieces, but the evaluation weights them according to realized basketball or asset value. That approach is especially important here because Slight Kings Edge depends on the relative strength of the completed returns, not on the number of items that changed hands.

The Deal's Most Important Outcome: Cincinnati Royals

The strongest evidence for Cincinnati Royals comes from the winner-side sequence. On September 14, 1962, Cincinnati Royals acquired Tom Hawkins from Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for 1963 second round pick (#14-Jim King). Trading the pick that became Jim King for Tom Hawkins worked somewhat better for Cincinnati Royals. The incoming side delivered the stronger practical return, but the gap in production, longevity or draft value remained limited. That modest difference places the transaction in the slight Kings edge tier. Those details are the foundation of the B grade. They show how the incoming package created value that survived the initial transaction and remained meaningful after the assets resolved. The analysis therefore credits Tom Hawkins for what the record says they produced, while avoiding speculative credit for paths the franchise could have taken but did not.

Comparing Realized Value, Not Reputation: Los Angeles Lakers

The countercase begins with Los Angeles Lakers' actual return, not with a caricature of the losing side. The 1962-09-14 trade leans slightly toward Sacramento Kings; Los Angeles Lakers received 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) but sent Tom Hawkins. Los Angeles Lakers received 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) and sent Tom Hawkins in the transaction with Sacramento Kings. The counterpart retained a modest realized-value edge, reflected in the B-/B grade pairing. The evaluation is retrospective: it weighs what the players and draft assets actually became, while still considering role, age, contract timing, competitive-window fit and identifiable downstream asset conversion. That evidence matters because it establishes what Los Angeles Lakers did receive and why the side still earns B-. Yet the comparison remains relative. When 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King) is placed beside Tom Hawkins, the return does not close the gap. Useful short-term value, financial flexibility, or a plausible roster reason can explain a trade without making its completed return equal to the stronger side.

How Far the Evidence Really Goes

Hindsight is only useful when it stays attached to the transaction. The review can credit a draft pick for the player it became, or a player for the role and production documented after the trade, because those outcomes are connected to the exchanged assets. It should not backfill value from unrelated decisions or assume that every later success was perfectly predictable on 1962-09-14. That bounded approach is what the B/B- split is measuring here: the quality of the realized returns and the distance between them, not a claim of perfect foresight by either front office.

Deep-Dive Verdict

Slight Kings Edge remains the deep-dive conclusion. Los Angeles Lakers are graded B-; Cincinnati Royals are graded B. The stronger completed return was Tom Hawkins, while the other side's case rests on 1963 second-round pick (#14-Jim King). Both sides receive credit for value that actually materialized, but the evidence-based comparison leaves Cincinnati Royals with the better historical outcome. The decisive point is simple: comparing only the assets in this trade and how they turned out supports the grade gap without overstating the verdict.

Research sources (4)