Providence Bought Rosenstein for Cash
On January 26, 1947, the New York Knicks sold Hank Rosenstein's player rights to the Providence Steamrollers for cash. Basketball-Reference records the move on both teams' transaction pages and in the league transaction log, while Providence executive Joseph Fay's register confirms that the Steamrollers acquired Rosenstein on the same date. The cash amount is not listed in those sources, which limits any exact comparison with New York's return. Rosenstein's post-trade production is much easier to measure.
Rosenstein Doubled His Scoring Rate
Rosenstein became a larger offensive piece immediately after reaching Providence. He had averaged 4.3 points in 31 games for New York, shooting .262 from the field. With the Steamrollers he played 29 games, averaged 8.6 points and improved to .331 shooting. He scored 249 points for Providence after totaling 133 for the Knicks and generated 2.8 win shares in the Steamrollers segment of his season.
New York Stayed Strong After the Sale
The Knicks received cash and remained a winning team after moving Rosenstein. New York finished 33-27 and reached the playoffs, showing that the sale did not create a damaging roster hole. The limitation is archival rather than strategic: the amount of cash and its later use are not documented in the transaction sources used for this review.
The Measurable Return Favors Providence
Rosenstein's improvement makes Providence's side more concrete. His scoring rate doubled, his shooting percentage improved and he handled a larger role for almost half the season. New York was the better team and had enough depth to move him without losing its playoff position, so the Knicks' decision was defensible. The difference is that Providence can point to a measurable basketball return while New York's cash remains unquantified.
Final Verdict
Steamrollers Win — Providence A-, New York B. Providence acquired Hank Rosenstein from the New York Knicks for cash on January 26, 1947. Rosenstein had averaged 4.3 points in 31 games for New York, then doubled that rate to 8.6 points across 29 games for the Steamrollers while improving his field-goal percentage from .262 to .331. The cash amount New York received is not disclosed in the surviving transaction pages, so the Knicks' financial return cannot be measured precisely.