Detroit traded Andre Wakefield to Phoenix on August 24, 1979 for a 1981 fourth-round pick. Phoenix waived Wakefield on October 12 before he appeared in a regular-season game for the Suns; he later signed with Utah as a free agent and played eight games there. Detroit kept the pick through the 1981 draft and used it at No. 89 on Don Koonce, but Koonce never appeared in an NBA regular-season game. Neither side generated meaningful NBA production from the original exchange. Detroit gets only a narrow hindsight edge because the Pistons at least carried the acquired asset through to a completed draft selection, while Phoenix received zero games from Wakefield.
Basketball-Reference's Detroit and Phoenix transaction logs agree on the August 24, 1979 deal. The Pistons sent Andre Wakefield to the Suns for a 1981 fourth-round pick that eventually became the No. 89 selection.
Wakefield had played 71 games for Detroit in 1978-79 after a brief two-game Chicago stint. He scored 172 points for the Pistons and averaged 8.1 minutes. The Suns did not receive comparable on-court value. Phoenix waived Wakefield on October 12, 1979, before he appeared in a regular-season game for the club. Wakefield later signed with Utah as a free agent on November 6 and played eight games for the Jazz. Those Utah games do not count as Phoenix trade value because the Suns had already waived him.
The Pistons retained the incoming fourth-round selection and used it at No. 89 in 1981 on Don Koonce from UNC Charlotte. Koonce did not appear in an NBA regular-season game. Basketball-Reference lists him as a Detroit fourth-round selection but shows no NBA statistical line, so the pick produced no realized NBA playing value.
This is a low-value trade in hindsight. Phoenix received no regular-season games from Wakefield and lost his rights when it waived him. Detroit at least preserved the incoming asset for two years and exercised the pick, but Koonce did not reach the NBA. The difference between the sides is therefore administrative rather than meaningful competitive value. Detroit completed the draft branch; Phoenix's player branch ended before the season began.
Slight Pistons Edge, D+/D. Detroit receives a D+ because the fourth-round asset survived to the 1981 draft even though Koonce never played in the NBA. Phoenix receives a D because Wakefield was waived before recording a Suns regular-season appearance.