New York acquired Gene Conley from the Chicago Zephyrs for Phil Jordon and the rights to Cliff Luyk on September 10, 1962. Basketball-Reference's Knicks, Zephyrs, league and player transaction records agree on the date and structure. Conley gave New York 116 regular-season games across two seasons, including 70 games at 9.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 1962-63. Chicago never used Jordon in a game; 27 days later it traded him to St. Louis for Charlie Hardnett, who became a useful Zephyrs/Bullets frontcourt piece with 78 games at 10.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in 1962-63 and 164 games for the franchise across three seasons. Luyk never played in the NBA. The downstream Hardnett return gives Chicago/Baltimore a modest edge, but New York also received real multi-season value.
The Knicks acquired Gene Conley from the Chicago Zephyrs for Phil Jordon and the rights to Cliff Luyk on September 10, 1962. The Knicks, Zephyrs, league and player transaction records agree on the date and structure.
Conley played 116 regular-season games for New York across two seasons. His first Knicks season covered 70 games at 9.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, giving New York substantial immediate value from the veteran center.
Jordon never played for Chicago. Twenty-seven days later the Zephyrs moved him to St. Louis for Charlie Hardnett, who became a useful frontcourt player for the Zephyrs/Bullets franchise. Luyk never played in the NBA, so Chicago’s realized return came through the Jordon-to-Hardnett conversion.
New York clearly received meaningful multi-season production from Conley. Chicago’s edge comes from converting Jordon into Hardnett, who stayed useful across multiple seasons. The result is a narrow franchise-value advantage rather than a failed Knicks acquisition.
Wizards Win — New York B+, Chicago/Washington franchise A-. New York acquired Gene Conley from the Chicago Zephyrs for Phil Jordon and the rights to Cliff Luyk on September 10, 1962. Basketball-Reference's Knicks, Zephyrs, league and player transaction records agree on the date and structure.