The Memphis Grizzlies are trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks and a first-round pick swap, reports ESPN. For a Memphis roster that has been in need of a shakeup, seeing Bane traded isn’t entirely surprising, but the return the Grizzlies got certainly raises eyebrows. It’s not the blockbuster trade everyone was expecting as we inch closer to the NBA Draft — looking at you, Kevin Durant — but it certainly sets the tone for the rest of what should be an incredibly active trade market this summer.
There’s a lot to break down about this trade, so let’s give out some grades and see how this impacts both teams for next season.
Magic receive:
Grizzlies receive:
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Cole Anthony
- No. 16 pick in 2025 NBA Draft
- 2026 first-round pick (via Phoenix)
- 2028 first-round pick
- 2029 first-round pick swap
- 2030 first-round pick
Orlando Magic: B+
The Magic add some much-needed shooting depth and get a guy who can do a little bit of everything offensively. Bane can also hold his own defensively, too. The Magic ranked last in 3-point percentage and just got a guy who is a career 41% shooter from deep. But it’s not just the shooting that should excite the Magic: Bane is someone who can run the offense, create off the bounce and be a playmaker for his teammates. He’s a Swiss army knife on offense, and someone who can be a pressure release valve for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
The flip side of the this, though, is the Magic gave up quite a bit for Bane, who, despite being a premier shooter, has missed an average of 25 games over the last three seasons. Durability should be a minor concern for Orlando, especially when the Magic have dealt with their faire share of injuries to Banchero and Wagner this season. Giving up essentially five first-round picks for someone who is a role player is just wild on face value, but it’s not too dissimilar to what the Knicks gave up to get Mikal Bridges last summer. However, while the Knicks made the Eastern Conference finals with Bridges — and Karl-Anthony Towns — they have very few assets remaining to upgrade a roster that is in desperate need of depth.Â
Orlando practically did the same here by giving up Caldwell-Pope and Anthony for Bane, and if getting Bane doesn’t vault the Magic into a top-four team in the East, then this will look like a massive overpay. The Magic are banking on being a quality team from now until 2030, which is the latest pick they sent to Memphis, and if they are, then those draft assets will depreciate in value and this will be an incredibly savvy move for Orlando. But if the Magic are just a play-in team going forward and aren’t able to break into the upper echelon of what is already a weak Eastern Conference, then they won’t have a ton of future picks to get out of mediocrity. This is essentially a big bet placed on Orlando’s current core, and the Magic are hoping Bane can be the guy who can push this team beyond just a first-round playoff exit.
Memphis Grizzlies: B
On paper, this is a sizable haul for the Grizzlies. This was a team in need of some retooling after its third first-round playoff exit in five years, and that really started when the team parted ways with coach Taylor Jenkins before the postseason even started. We knew there would be some sort of roster shakeup, and with Bane on a fair contract, he was the easiest to move. He’s also the type of player who can excel on any roster because of his versatile skill set, and when the Magic came calling with that large of a return, the Grizzlies would’ve been foolish to say no.
The four first-round picks Memphis is getting, however, may not be that valuable down the line. Orlando sent its own No. 14 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, as well as Phoenix’s 2026 first-round pick, which could be of some value if the Suns bottom out which is dependent on the return they get for Kevin Durant. The other two picks from the Magic, in 2028 and 2030, may not be as high as the Grizzlies expect if Orlando is a contending team over the next five years. The same goes for the lightly protected pick swap with the Magic in 2029. There’s a better chance of Memphis being a lottery team than Orlando over the next five years, so the value isn’t that great once you do some digging into the specifics here.
What’s more important to figure out here is what Memphis’ plan is going forward. Was this a hint to a commitment of a core of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.? Will one of those guys now get traded too? When rumors circulated that the Grizzlies could look to move Morant during the season, Memphis general manager Zach Kleiman shut that down quickly, saying “We are not trading Ja. … I’m not going to give this nonsense further oxygen.” Is that still the company line? Jackson Jr. enters next season on an expiring $23.4 million contract; does he remain in Memphis past next season? After not making an All-NBA team this season, Jackson is ineligible for a five-year, supermax extension, which would’ve earned him $345 million. He is now eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $146 million, which he’s unlikely to sign. But there’s also the possibility that the Grizzlies could renegotiate the final year on his current deal and extend him to a bigger contract. In order to do that, Memphis would need to shed more salary, which is still doable.
If Memphis’ plan is to keep both Morant and try to re-sign Jackson to some sort of extension, then they’ve created a more balanced roster around those two. And now they add a defensive-minded veteran player in Caldwell-Pope, who, despite a down year in Orlando, can still provide value for the Grizzlies, if for nothing else than for his perimeter defense. Anthony can be a quality backup guard to Morant, who can score, though he’s a bit undersized and can be targeted defensively.
Trading away Bane is a pretty big loss for the Grizzlies, but it may have been a necessity for a roster that, had it stayed the same going into next season, would’ve found itself in a similar position. This move alone won’t change the Grizzlies’ outlook for next season, but it sets them up to potentially make other decisions, either by giving Jackson an extension, which would require them to shed further salary, or making a different move that could surprise us all.
What’s most telling about all this is just how much Bane netted Memphis. Think back to what the Dallas Mavericks got for Luka Doncic, just one future first-round pick from the Lakers, for a guy whose finished in the top three of MVP voting, earned five first-team All-NBA mentions and is a five-time All-Star. Bane has none of those accolades to his name, and yet he just fetched the return of what an MVP-caliber player should be getting on the trade market.
I’m not sure if this is a market-setting indicator, or just a case of an Orlando team really coveting Bane and willing to overpay to get him. But if trading Bane get you four unprotected first-round picks, think of what someone like Austin Reaves or Derrick White, two similarly important role players, could get the Lakers or Celtics if they do indeed part ways with those guys.
