The Orlando Magic potentially just propelled their rebuild, (if that’s what we’re going to call it) by a lot.
On Sunday, the Magic acquired Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks (2025 No. 16, 2026, 2028, 2030), and a 2029 pick swap.
After losing in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers last season and to the Boston Celtics about two months ago, Orlando is aiming for higher aspirations. Led by young star Paolo Banchero, the team has a player who looks like he can be the best talent on a championship-caliber team.
Injuries derailed the Magic’s 2024-2025 campaign, with Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs all missing significant portions of the season due to injury.
Ahead of this offseason, critics were skeptical about the future of Orlando, with some believing Wagner or Suggs could be on the way out in exchange for a proven star. Landing Bane essentially eliminates that thought process, giving the team a core of four extremely talented players, who all are on similar timelines age-wise.
Bane spoke to the Magic’s media today for the first time, signaling his excitement for the move.
“I’m super excited to be here,” Bane said. “All the guys, they’ve reached out & hit me up. The front office, the support staff – everybody has been real, real supportive. You can tell there’s an excitement. I feel like we have the roster to be able to do some really special things.”
Orlando was the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA last season, averaging just 31.5% from deep range. Adding Bane will surely help the team in that aspect since he’s a proven shooter, making threes at 41% during his five-year professional career.
“The guy is almost the player you would design if you could start from scratch,” Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said. “Desmond is such a unique player because he’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. But he’s also a gifted playmaker. He generates shot creation for himself and others. He creates advantages with and without the ball. High IQ player.”