Bullets Won’t Keep Moses Malone; Suns Lose Davis to Nuggets

Walter Davis, six-time NBA all-star and the leading scorer in the Phoenix Suns’ history, became the second unrestricted free agent to change teams when he signed with the Denver Nuggets.

Davis, 33, a 6-foot 6-inch guard, has played his entire NBA career with the Suns. In his 11 seasons, he averaged 20 points or better seven times, including a career-high 24.2 a game in his first season, when he was rookie of the year.

Davis was among the Suns who testified before a Maricopa County grand jury investigating drug use in the Phoenix area in March 1987. He testified that he started using cocaine in 1977--the year his rookie season began--and continued using it twice a week until December 1985.

He entered a rehabilitation clinic in Van Nuys on Dec. 12, 1985, for cocaine and alcohol abuse and returned to the team Jan. 10, 1986.

Davis testified that he used cocaine again three times after his release and was admitted to the clinic a second time on April 16, 1987, for 60 days.

His testimony under a grant of immunity led to the indictments of several current and former Sun players for various drug charges ranging from possession to trafficking in narcotics.