NBA Trades: Ranking the Top 5 Deals in Utah Jazz History

3) Jazz Swing Jeff Malone For Jeff Hornacek; February 24, 1994

The Jazz acquire Jeff Hornacek, Sean Green and a future second-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers for Jeff Malone and a first-round pick.

As awesome as Jeff Malone’s shooting was for the Jazz in the early 90s, this is where he really came in handy. By using him to acquire Jeff Hornacek, the Jazz turned their star duo into a trio. He was the final piece the team needed to become a legitimate title contender and one of the league’s elite squads.

In other words, it was the move that changed everything for the Jazz. They went from a first-round exit the season before to the Western Conference Finals that year. Three years later, they were in the NBA Finals.

Upon his arrival, Hornacek was one of the best pure shooters in the game. He even represented the Phoenix Suns in the All-Star Game in 1992. While his role with the Jazz was somewhat reduced from those Suns/76ers days, his importance to the team cannot be overstated.

He had a sweet stroke and crazy range, he was automatic at the line, his basketball IQ was elite, his defense was underrated and he could even spell Stockton as the lead ball-handler at times. Meanwhile, Malone was at the end of his career and had been beaten down by injuries.

The move to swap the two was made at just the right time for the Jazz.

Over the course of seven seasons with the Jazz, Hornacek averaged 14.4 points and four assists per game. He also hit 49.4 percent of his field goal attempts, just under 43 percent from three and nearly 90 percent from the line.

Next: The Infamous Knicks Pick