Desmond Bane joins Magic: Memphis focuses on continuity despite trade

The trade of Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic created a surprise in the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies guard, one of the team’s key players, was traded Sunday for Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and four first-round Draft picks (2025, 2026, 2028 and 2030) plus a swap in 2029.

This transaction comes after a disappointing season for Memphis, eliminated 4-0 by the Thunder in the first round of playoffs. « I don’t think we can look back at this series and say ‘Oh, we were close’, because we weren’t, » GM Zack Kleiman stated to conclude the 2024/25 season.

Memphis refuses complete rebuild

Despite this major trade, the Grizzlies are not considering a complete rebuild. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, this trade « should not change the status of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr, who remain the core of the Grizzlies. » ESPN confirms that the franchise is not looking to trade its two stars, still viewed as the fundamental pieces of Tuomas Iisalo’s roster.

The four draft picks acquired don’t necessarily mean an massive influx of young players. « Stockpiling draft picks allows Memphis to find other ways to improve team quality, » explains the Commercial Appeal. This strategy mainly aims to create salary space to extend Jaren Jackson Jr, whose contract expires in 2026.

ESPN reveals that Memphis has « spent the last months clearing space to achieve a renegotiation and extension of Jackson’s contract during this offseason. » These draft picks could also be used to attract an additional star to climb back up the Western hierarchy.

Orlando bets everything on outside shooting

For the Magic, acquiring Bane addresses a glaring issue: three-point shooting. Orlando just posted the worst three-point shooting season of any team in the last ten years, with only 31.8% success rate (30th in the NBA). Even Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, known as a shooter, only converted 34.2% of his outside attempts this season.

« We are thrilled to welcome Desmond to the Orlando Magic family, » said Jeff Weltman, President of Basketball Operations. « Throughout his five years in the NBA, Desmond has established himself as one of the best guards in our league, and we look forward to his shooting, basketball IQ, and broad skill set helping our team take a step forward. »

With a 41% career three-point shooting percentage and 39.2% this season, Bane should significantly improve Orlando‘s offense. His future teammates Paolo Banchero (32%), Franz Wagner (29.5%) and Jalen Suggs (31.4%) show much lower percentages. This trade shows that Orlando considers itself close to the top of the East and ready to sacrifice its future for the present.