A Three-Team Deal With Six Verified Player Assets
The December 16, 1963 trade sent Bob Boozer from Cincinnati and Johnny Egan from Detroit to New York. Detroit received Donnie Butcher and Bob Duffy from the Knicks, while Cincinnati received Larry Staverman from Detroit. One piece arrived later: on May 1, 1964, New York transferred Hub Reed's rights to Detroit to complete the Egan obligation. The league and all three team transaction ledgers support those player movements; they do not support the cash entry that had survived in the older canonical record.
Boozer and Egan Gave New York the Best Immediate Return
Boozer played 49 games for the Knicks after the trade in 1963-64 and all 80 games the next season. Across those 129 games, he averaged roughly 15.4 points and 7.9 rebounds. Egan added 42 games at 14.1 points and 5.8 assists immediately after the trade, 74 more games in 1964-65 and seven at the start of 1965-66. New York therefore received two real rotation pieces at once, and both produced more direct value than the outgoing package.
Detroit Got Useful Depth; Cincinnati Lost the Value Race
Detroit did not leave empty-handed. Butcher played 138 games for the Pistons over parts of three seasons, Duffy contributed a shorter stint, and Reed's rights arrived as the deferred completion. Cincinnati's return was much lighter: Staverman played 34 games for the Royals in 1963-64 and averaged 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds. The gap between Boozer plus Egan and the other returns makes New York the clear winner without pretending Detroit received nothing.
Final Verdict
Knicks Win — New York A, Detroit B-, Cincinnati C-. The Knicks acquired the two strongest immediate players and received 252 combined regular-season games from Boozer and Egan. Detroit earned a useful multi-season guard in Butcher and later received Reed's rights, which keeps its grade respectable. Cincinnati turned Boozer into a much smaller Staverman return and finishes third in the deal.