Utah Jazz: Lyles for Mitchell and the Top 7 trades in team history
By Ryan Aston
2) Jazz swap Jeff Malone For Jeff Hornacek; February 24, 1994
The Jazz obtain Jeff Hornacek, Sean Green and a future second-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers for Jeff Malone and a first-round pick.
Although Jeff Malone’s shot was sweet for the Jazz during the early ’90s, his greatest contribution to the team probably came when he was on his way out the door.
By swinging Malone to the Sixers for Jeff Hornacek, Utah turned its superstar duo into a Big 3. Getting ‘Horny’ was the last thing the Jazz needed to do to become one of the West’s elite squads and a legit title contender.
Upon his arrival, Hornacek was one of the best pure shooters in the sport. He had a smooth stroke, crazy range and was automatic from the charity stripe. Furthermore, his basketball IQ was top-shelf, his defense was underrated and he could even spell Stockton as the lead ball-handler.
Although his role with the Jazz was reduced from his Suns/76ers days (dude played in the ’92 NBA All-Star Game), Hornacek’s importance to the team was massive.
Really, bringing him in was the move that changed it all in Jazzland. The team went from washing out of the playoffs’ first-round the previous season to playing in the conference finals that year. Three years later, they were squaring off with MJ for a world championship.
Over seven seasons with the Jazz, Hornacek averaged 14.4 points and four assists per contest. He also hit 49.4 percent of his field goals, just under 43 percent from 3-point range and nearly 90 percent from the foul line.
Meanwhile, Malone was at the end of the line and was beaten down by injuries. The move to swap the two was made at just the right time for the Jazz.
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