New York sold the player rights to Al Butler to Baltimore on October 17, 1964, one day later than the legacy TradeVerdicts date. Basketball-Reference's Knicks, Bullets and league transaction ledgers agree on October 17 and on a rights-sale structure. Butler then played 25 games for Baltimore in 1964-65, averaging 2.4 points in 6.9 minutes per game. That is limited production, but it is a real on-court return from the acquired rights. New York received undisclosed cash and no traceable downstream basketball asset in the public record. Baltimore therefore holds only a small realized-value edge rather than the legacy Knicks-win framing.
New York sold Al Butler’s player rights to Baltimore on October 17, 1964, one day later than the legacy TradeVerdicts date. The Knicks, Bullets and league transaction ledgers agree on October 17 and on a cash-for-rights sale.
Butler appeared in 25 games for Baltimore during 1964-65. He averaged 2.4 points in 6.9 minutes per game, so the Bullets did get measurable NBA production from the rights they purchased.
The Knicks received cash, but the public transaction record does not preserve the amount and does not reveal a later basketball asset tied to that payment. That limits how far the retrospective can push the New York side in either direction.
The Bullets’ return was modest, not transformative, but it was tangible. The B- versus C+ split reflects 25 games of realized player value against an unknown cash return rather than the older framing that favored New York.
Slight Bullets Edge — New York C+, Baltimore B-. New York sold the player rights to Al Butler to Baltimore on October 17, 1964, one day later than the legacy TradeVerdicts date. Basketball-Reference's Knicks, Bullets and league transaction ledgers agree on October 17 and on a rights-sale structure.