A host of NBA insiders, including Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst, have stated that this upcoming summer promises to be an absolute blockbuster.
It wasn't quite a "big fish" star on the move, but yesterday fans were treated to the first major trade of the summer: Grizzlies sharpshooter Desmond Bane was traded to the Magic in a bold, all-in move for Orlando.
While I am a huge fan of the trade from a roster standpoint—Bane will fit right in as the Magic's long-needed premier perimeter scorer—the cost Orlando paid to acquire the 26-year-old did seem quite expensive, reminiscent of the trade package from last offseason that sent Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks.
The official details of the Bane trade are as follows: Desmond Bane to Orlando; Memphis receives Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, four unprotected first-round draft picks (the 16th pick in 2025; unprotected picks in 2026, 2028, and 2030), and a 2029 first-round pick swap (top-two protected).
That is quite a steep price for a fringe All-Star caliber player. Though, it’s important to note that Orlando had to include some extra incentives in their deal, as they were also offloading two less than desirable contracts in Cole Anthony and KCP.
Both players were once impactful, but this past season, they proved to be quite inconsistent rotation pieces, especially veteran Caldwell-Pope, who was their major offseason addition last year.
Shifting the focus from Orlando now, how does a trade of this nature compare to what the Raptors managed during the last trade deadline when they went all-in by trading for former All-Star Brandon Ingram?
Say what you will about Toronto—having to pay a decent price to keep Ingram with a contract extension—but I’d like to think that, given the Raptors only had to part ways with one first-rounder and a second-round pick, the subsequent trade landscape is only making Toronto look like they made out like bandits in a sense.
Raptors didn't have to sacrifice Bane-level trade capital for Ingram
Masai Ujiri has shown in the past that he's more than willing to make a win-now business decision, if it's necessarily feasible for the franchise, but he has never looked so desperate to trade all of his future draft capital to do so.
He didn't trade a boat load of picks for Kawhi Leonard (to be fair, it was a one-year rental), and even as the Raptors have been linked to stars in recent years and months, I still think that Ujiri will always maintain his stance of trying to balance a deal in Toronto's favor that sees them continue to hold a significant amount of assets in the process. I think that's largely why he didn't bite on those rumored Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant trades in the past — although, asking for Scottie Barnes probably didn't help.
Sure, Bane is locked into a longer deal, which probably influenced his cost, but even an expiring, injured Ingram could have warranted more than just a first-rounder and a second-rounder. Fortunately for Toronto, it didn’t take more than that to seal the deal.
Looking ahead, I'm excited to see what Orlando can do with this big three of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Desmond Bane— I didn't forget about Jalen Suggs either. Hopefully, the Raptors can also get in on this success and improve their roster a bit, aiming to make some noise in what's expected to be an open Eastern Conference next year.