The Exchange
Basketball-Reference's Phoenix, Washington and league transaction logs all record the June 22, 1979 deal the same way: Washington sent Phoenix its 1979 first-round pick and a 1980 third-round pick for the rights to Steve Malovic. Contemporary Washington Post reporting adds useful context. The Bullets were the defending Eastern Conference champions, had just lost the 1979 NBA Finals, and believed the 6-foot-10 Malovic could help immediately; general manager Bob Ferry said Malovic had already agreed to contract terms. The first-round choice was No. 22 overall only three days later, while the future third became No. 59 in 1980.
Phoenix Return
Phoenix used the No. 22 pick on Kentucky guard Kyle Macy. Macy stayed in college for 1979-80, then joined the Suns and became a durable five-year rotation and starting guard. He played all 82 regular-season games in each of his first four NBA seasons, started 72 games in 1981-82, and later started 52 games in 1984-85. Across his Phoenix tenure he appeared in 393 regular-season games with 178 starts, scored 4,180 points, handed out 1,555 assists and recorded 491 steals. His shooting efficiency was also a real asset: his five Suns seasons included field-goal percentages of .511, .514, .517, .501 and .485, plus elite free-throw shooting. Macy was not a franchise superstar, but he was a long-term NBA guard who gave Phoenix years of rotation stability and significant starting value. The 1980 third-round pick became Clemson forward John Campbell at No. 59. Campbell never appeared in an NBA regular-season game, so that second draft asset produced no realized league value. That miss does not change the overall return because the first-round pick alone became a productive five-year Suns player.
Washington Return
Malovic's Washington outcome was almost empty. Basketball-Reference credits him with one Bullets appearance in 1979-80, totaling six minutes and one point. He then played 28 games for San Diego and 10 for Detroit in the same season, finishing his NBA career after 39 total games. Washington therefore traded a first-round pick and a future third for a player who contributed a single regular-season game to the franchise. The move made more sense in process terms than the raw hindsight result suggests because Washington was a veteran contender trying to add immediate frontcourt depth, and Malovic was a 6-foot-10 prospect who had delayed his NBA arrival to preserve college eligibility. Still, TradeVerdicts grades realized value, and the realized Bullets return was negligible.
Final Verdict
Phoenix wins decisively. The Suns converted rights to a player who never became part of their NBA rotation into a first-round pick that produced five full seasons of Kyle Macy plus an additional draft chance. Washington received only one Malovic game. An A for Phoenix reflects the extraordinary asset conversion without inflating Macy into a star he was not. A D for Washington is severe but fair: the Bullets at least acquired a legitimate prospect rather than receiving nothing, yet the first-round pick they surrendered became a useful long-term guard while Malovic's Washington career lasted six minutes. Final verdict: Phoenix Suns Win.