In what’s the first major trade of the offseason, the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to send Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and one first-round pick swap, per ESPN senior insider Shams Charania.
Grizzlies, Magic Complete First Major Offseason Trade
Bane, as evidenced by the assets the Magic surrendered for him, is the principal player in the trade. The 30th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, he’s emerged as one of the best wings in the NBA since his debut. In 313 career regular season games, he’s averaging 17.8 points and 3.8 assists per game, shooting 41.0 percent from 3. He’s been particularly effective since 2021-22, averaging 20.2 points per game in that stretch.
Magic Perspective
Bane arriving in Orlando allows him to play alongside two even stronger scorers in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Last season, the magical duo averaged 50.1 points per game combined. However, the Magic averaged just 105.4 points per game as a team, which ranked 28th in the league. Though Caldwell-Pope and Anthony averaged 18.1 points per game combined, the fact that Bane can get those points up by his lonesome gives the first unit far more potent. It’s also worth noting that Caldwell-Pope (.342) and Anthony (.353) aren’t as reliable beyond the arc as Bane.
The Best Part?
Orlando didn’t have to trade Jalen Suggs, who spearheads the defense, to get the deal done. Thus, Bane is slated to start alongside Suggs in the backcourt, while Banchero and Wagner man the forward slots. The Magic’s perimeter defense will still be negatively impacted by swapping Caldwell-Pope for Bane. Nevertheless, it’s about as solid of a roster move as they could make.
Grizzlies Perspective
For the Grizzlies, this trade adds a 3-and-D wing, an archetype they don’t have many of. With that in mind, there’s a serious possibility that Caldwell-Pope will start alongside Jaylen Wells on the wing. If so, it’ll give Memphis’s first unit a much better chance of stifling opposing offenses. Furthermore, they won’t have to be overly reliant on Wells, whose absence was undoubtedly felt during the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
However, the future of Scotty Pippen Jr. —a backup point guard who started in place of Wells in the 2025 NBA Playoffs —is in doubt because of the presence of Anthony. Frankly, Pippen is the better player. He’s a more heady facilitator and has taken strides as scorer. Yet, that also makes him a trade chip for future moves.
On the flip side, Memphis was rumored to want Panathinaikos point guard TJ Shorts. As a result, there may already be a plan for how to incorporate Anthony without it severely impacting Pippen.
All of that being said, Zach Edey may be the biggest benefactor of the trade, as they need to replace Bane’s points. To that point, the Grizzlies seemed to have too many mouths to feed with just one ball in 2024-25. Edey, a scintillating scorer at the collegiate level, was squeezed out in particular.
Bane’s absence may also give GG Jackson II greater opportunity, as he’s a more perimeter-oriented player.
The Best Part?
Four unprotected first-round picks. Indeed, the trade isn’t too dissimilar from the deal the New York Knicks made for Mikal Bridges. In that deal, the Brooklyn Nets were able to extract five first-round picks from the Knicks.
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