Adrian Dantley, Jeff Hornacek and the five best trades in Utah Jazz history
By Ryan Aston
5) Jeff Malone joins the Jazz band; June 25, 1990
In a three-team trade, the Utah Jazz acquired Jeff Malone from the Washington Bullets. In return, Washington received Pervis Ellison from the Sacramento Kings, while the Jazz traded Bobby Hansen, Eric Leckner, a future first-round draft pick and two future second-round picks to the Sacramento. The Bullets also sent a future second-round pick to the Kings.
Are you surprised? You shouldn’t be.
The deal that netted sharpshooter Jeff Malone was huge for the Jazz franchise. Not only because of what it brought them at the time, but in the future as well. We’ll get to that particular point later in the countdown, though.
During his Bullets days in the ’80s, Malone with a J was one of the Association’s best scorers. He was the master of the long two, knocking down 18-20 foot jump shots with accuracy. Earlier in his career, he was also one of the league’s best at using screens, hard cuts and off-ball movement to create open shots for himself.
By the time he made his way to Salt Lake City, he definitely had some war wounds. I’ve got vivid memories of him laying flat on the hardwood to soothe his aching back when he went to the bench. Still, he averaged 18.5 points per contest over the course of nearly four years with the Jazz.
That number still ranks in the Top 10 all-time in Jazz history.
Malone also appeared in 30 playoff games for the Jazz, helping them advance to the Western Conference Finals in 1992. Not too shabby for an old dog.
On the flipside of the deal, Bobby Hansen was out of the league not long after being traded, Eric Leckner was a career bench guy and the draft picks were of the late-round variety, ultimately yielding little return. A deal like that is a major win.
Next: Dealing for D-Will