Grizzlies Trade Desmond Bane to Magic for Two Players, Four First-Round Picks

Bane is headed to the Magic in exchange for two players, four first rounders and one first-round pick swap.
Bane is headed to Orlando while Caldwell-Pope is Memphis-bound.
Bane is headed to Orlando while Caldwell-Pope is Memphis-bound. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

While the NBA offseason hasn't yet started for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, it has for the remainder of the NBA, and the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies kicked off their respective offseasons with a big trade on Sunday.

The Grizzlies traded guard Desmond Bane to the Magic in exchange for guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and a first-round pick swap, sources told Shams Charania of ESPN.

Bane, 26, averaged a career-best 23.7 points and 3.3 three-pointers per game in 2023-24 and just this past season, matched his career-high with 1.2 steals per game. He is regarded as one of the better two-way players in the NBA, strong play which helped him secure a five-year, $207 million max contract extension with the Grizzlies in July of 2023.

The acquisition of Bane comes on the heels of two consecutive postseason appearances for Orlando, which, armed with a rising star in Paolo Banchero, as well as a capable core, seems poised to take the next step in the Eastern Conference. Bane, a career 41 percent shooter from beyond the arc, will be a welcome presence for a Magic team that ranked last in the NBA in three-point percentage during the regular season. He's under contract through the end of the 2028-29 campaign.

Memphis, meanwhile, adds much-needed depth to the backcourt in Caldwell-Pope and Anthony, the former of whom played a key role on a championship-winning Denver Nuggets team just two seasons ago. Additionally, the Grizzlies will receive the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, a 2026 first round pick with swap rights from either the Phoenix Suns or Washington Wizards, as well as Orlando's 2028 and 2030 unprotected first round draft picks. Memphis also nets a lightly protected 2029 first round pick swap.


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.


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