The NBA offseason has officially kicked off with a bang, and it didn’t take long for the first blockbuster trade to emerge. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic have completed a massive deal centered around Desmond Bane, sending shockwaves across both conferences.
Trade Details
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, 2025 No. 16 pick, 2026 Phoenix Suns first-round pick, 2028 Orlando Magic first-round pick, 2030 Orlando Magic first-round pick, 2029 Orlando Magic first-round pick swap
Orlando Magic Receive: Desmond Bane
This is a franchise-altering swing by the Orlando Magic. After finishing 41–41 and claiming the seventh seed in the East last season, the Magic were clearly ready to push forward. They collapsed late in the season due to injuries, but have a core worth believing in.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are already playing at near-All-Star levels. Now, they add Desmond Bane, a two-way sharpshooter with playmaking upside who averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game last season for the Grizzlies.
Bane brings much-needed shooting and shot creation to a Magic team that often struggled to space the floor and manufacture offense late in games. He also adds toughness and experience, having been a central piece of a Grizzlies team that made four postseason appearances in the last five years.
From Memphis’ perspective, this is a move aimed at flexibility and long-term capital. After finishing 48–34 last season, the Grizzlies crumbled down the stretch and were swept in the first round.
The late-season firing of Taylor Jenkins signaled a shift in direction, and this trade confirms it. While trading a 25-year-old star-level guard like Bane is shocking, the return is substantial.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a proven championship-level wing who averaged 8.7 points on solid efficiency and brings elite perimeter defense. Cole Anthony provides backcourt depth and averaged 9.4 points and 2.9 assists per game as a sixth man for Orlando. But the real prize here is the war chest of picks.
Memphis gets four first-rounders, two from Orlando, one from Phoenix, and the No. 16 pick this year, along with a 2029 pick swap. This gives the Grizzlies major ammunition to either draft future talent or chase star-level upgrades in the coming years. With Ja Morant returning from injury next season, Memphis can now retool around him, Jaren Jackson Jr., and their newfound draft capital.
This deal could also signal that more chaos is coming this offseason. If Bane, a homegrown star who had just signed a five-year max extension, is gettable, who’s really untouchable?
For the Magic, the message is clear: they’re done waiting. They want to win now. Bane, Wagner, and Banchero form one of the best young cores in the NBA, and with internal growth and health, they could be a top-four seed as soon as next season.
For the Grizzlies, it’s a reset—but a strategic one. If used wisely, this trade could reshape their future just as much as it transforms Orlando’s present.
