While the NBA offseason hasn't yet started for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, it has for the remainder of the NBA, and the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies kicked off their respective offseasons with a big trade on Sunday.
The Grizzlies traded guard Desmond Bane to the Magic in exchange for guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and a first-round pick swap, sources told Shams Charania of ESPN.
Bane, 26, averaged a career-best 23.7 points and 3.3 three-pointers per game in 2023-24 and just this past season, matched his career-high with 1.2 steals per game. He is regarded as one of the better two-way players in the NBA, strong play which helped him secure a five-year, $207 million max contract extension with the Grizzlies in July of 2023.
The acquisition of Bane comes on the heels of two consecutive postseason appearances for Orlando, which, armed with a rising star in Paolo Banchero, as well as a capable core, seems poised to take the next step in the Eastern Conference. Bane, a career 41 percent shooter from beyond the arc, will be a welcome presence for a Magic team that ranked last in the NBA in three-point percentage during the regular season. He's under contract through the end of the 2028-29 campaign.
Memphis, meanwhile, adds much-needed depth to the backcourt in Caldwell-Pope and Anthony, the former of whom played a key role on a championship-winning Denver Nuggets team just two seasons ago. Additionally, the Grizzlies will receive the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, a 2026 first round pick with swap rights from either the Phoenix Suns or Washington Wizards, as well as Orlando's 2028 and 2030 unprotected first round draft picks. Memphis also nets a lightly protected 2029 first round pick swap.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Grizzlies Trade Desmond Bane to Magic for Two Players, Four First-Round Picks.
