Desmond Bane believes the package the Magic gave up for him was worth it. The Grizzlies moved the high-scoring guard to Orlando, receiving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and one first-round pick swap in return.
Bane anticipates he’ll have no trouble fitting in with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and the rest of the Magic’s core as they strive to become a top contender in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s time to win,” Bane said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s pretty much as simple as that. If we do what we’re supposed to do … Not to say those picks weren’t valuable, but they would have fallen in place that, we’ve got a lot of young talent here already in the building, and we have a lot of talent at the top of the roster, so I think it’s a perfect for the organization to do what they did.”
Bane was asked by his agent after the Grizzlies’ season ended that if he were traded where would he prefer to wind up.
“I promise you, Orlando was right at the top of the list,” Bane said. “It’s a perfect fit.”
Orlando had a crying need for another play-maker and shooter and Bane fits that bill. He averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game this season while shooting 39.2% from three on 6.1 attempts per contest. Bane slots in alongside Jalen Suggs in the starting backcourt.
It was a calculated risk by the Magic, not only for the loss of draft capital but also because Bane’s big contract pushes them closer to luxury tax territory. He has four years left on his five-year, $197.2MM deal.
“I’ve gotten a chance to play against them — not a ton coming from the Western Conference — but it was always tough to put the ball in the basket against them,” Bane said of his new teammates. “They guard and I’ll fit right into what they’re trying to do on that end, and hopefully help out on the spacing front on offense.”
When Memphis general manager Zach Kleiman contacted Bane regarding the trade, Bane’s emotions went from concern to elation.
“Before he told me where I was going, my heart sank, just because there’s 29 other teams outside of the Grizzlies that I could have ended up on,” Bane said. “Once he said Orlando, I was smiling through the phone. I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful like I was moving on from Memphis that fast, but I was genuinely excited about the new opportunity.”
Orlando paid a high price for Bane. New York paid a high price for Bridges. Los Angeles basically got Luka for AD and nothing else. Crazy NBA at times
Orlando traded two mediocre players for Bane.
New York traded four bad players for Bridges.
LA traded an All-NBA, All-Defense player for Luka.
Crazy how many people don’t understand what the draft picks are for.
So you think no other team could top the Lakers offer?
I think that is naive. Luka would have brought a kings ransom and nobody will ever know bc of the inside deal between friends. Imagine what OKC could have offered the Mavericks.
Claiming that the AD/Luka trade was even is not only disingenuous but very difficult to defend.
Sorry.
“Claiming that the AD/Luka trade was even is not only disingenuous but very difficult to defend.”
Suggesting I said that is what’s disingenuous.
Interesting take, to say the least
Lauri, Sexton and 5 firsts for Donovan Mitchell is another one that no one ever would have predicted
It was only 3 firsts, the other 2 were swaps. I would consider Agbaji another first, but he might not have been the player UTAH would’ve selected if they actually had the pick before the trade.
link to basketball-reference.com
Traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers with Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, a 2025 1st round draft pick, a 2026 1st round draft pick, a 2027 1st round draft pick, a 2028 1st round draft pick and a 2029 1st round draft pick to the Utah Jazz for Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland also received a trade exception 2025 1st-rd pick is CLE own 2026 1st-rd pick is a right to swap 2027 1st-rd pick is CLE own 2028 1st-rd pick is a right to swap 2029 1st-rd pick is CLE own
Read the bottom of that lol…
link to nba.com
Jazz receive:
Collin Sexton
Lauri Markkanen
Ochai Agbaji
2025 first-round pick
2026 pick swap
2027 first-round pick
2028 pick swap
2029 first-round pick
AD, when he is 100% healthy, is a top-20 player in the league and perhaps the top 3 big man behind Joker and Embiid; that is why the Lakers only gave up a draft pick for Luka.
“AD and nothing else”
AD is a top 10-12 player.
Christie is more valuable than Anthony or KCP at this stage.
LA got the better of the trade, but they gave up a lot.
A lot, but not enough ( if n. harrison understood leverage )
I think people look at this the wrong way.
Its not that AD is good, the real question is what COULD the Mavericks have gotten from other teams or a bidding war?
Again, what could OKC offer? What could the Celtics offer?
see? That is the issue. Harrisons job is to maximize the return for an once in a lifetime player.
That is why he will eventually be fired.
CF, all agree Dallas didn’t get enough for Luka. But zero chance Nico will be fired in the next few years.
What you’re missing is that Nico’s boss/owner, Patrick Dumont, was completely on-board. Dumont is on the record saying that he was in on the decision from the start.
Nico and Dumont got lucky with Cooper Flagg. Dallas fans have a future to look forward to.
Nico thought Luka was a degenerate fat guy, a la Zion. Sucks to be him.
If they had also included the Mark Williams failed trade package as part of the Doncic trade, it still wouldn’t have been “enough”, but it would have been more fair – 2031 1st round pick and Dalton Knecht on top of everything else they got. Sounds like Pelinka was working on Nico for months (and they are friends), which is crazy the psychology of that.
AD is top 10-12 player (when he plays) but far from top 10-12 asset. That’s the problem with the trade for Dallas.
Peter_Cantrope, 100%.
Still, I gotta say that these 4 guys make a formidable team going forward: Kyrie, AD, Lively, and Flagg.
And Dallas is deep, with a lot of trade pieces (Christie Gafford, PJ, Caleb Martin, Klay, Nani Marshall).
If Kyrie is back mid-season as reported, this is probably the #2 team in the West… although injuries could just as easily make them a play-in team.
The major thing people are forgetting is that Nico wasn’t looking for out for the best deal. He wanted to ship Luka out of Dallas ASAP and he only wanted AD.
Conspiracy theories.
Desmond Bane is a really good player. I think he will fit in excellently in Orlando. But we have gotten way to far into the player empowerment thing when Desmond Bane has a trade me to list.
Might want to work on your reading comprehension.
No I understand fully. It’s just he had absolutely no leverage to dictate where he would end up. Was already on a new deal so couldn’t do a I won’t resign here thing. Didn’t have a NTC. And it’d not like he’s some super ingrained into the NBA guy like Butler, or Durant to leverage that into a destination of his choosing. The agent is just doing his job but if Memphis wanted to trade Bane to East Gibip he’s getting traded.
yeah side with the Billionaires…
I never understand that.
Why not have a trade me list? Memphis obviously had one.
Why would you hire an agent?
To maximize his career? Why should he just do whatever management says? this is not indentured servitude, its a employment. As a Lawyer, I have worked for over 10 firms in my career. Should I not look for a better situation?
I guess I dont get your comment, really. I am baffled why people would care if a player wants to do whatever he wants. Would you have a problem if he took less to stay in Memphis bc he loves it?
Weird that people have this position and that they side with people who have nothing in common with them, the rich.
Sounds like you got some issues you need to work on my friend. Not everything is some class level struggle where it’s one side vs the other.
I read this as a very coincidental ‘so glad to be here’ response. Of course you had the place you got traded to on the top of ‘your list’.
I still can’t believe Bane is 6’6″ with a 6’4″ wingspan. T-rex arms for real lol – for reference, I am almost 6’2″ with a 6’4″ wingspan, so its extra funny for me.
He’s good though! Just has no length whatsoever, which isn’t really an issue with the Magic now Anthony is gone.
T-rex , that’s for getting the check
Some ethnicities tend to have shorter arms, some are the opposite. I’ve read that some tribes on East Africa, living in Tanzania and other places in that region, have the longest arm lengths compared to height on average in the world.
While in Eastern Europe, namely Poland-Ukraine region, people often have negative wingspans. There are very few NBA players with negative wingspans, and many of them are from there or have those roots – Kelly Olynyk, Mykhailiuk, Filipowski, Kaminsky.
Maybe Bane has that ancestry on his mom’s side. Or it’s just normal variance.
“I believe I am worth 20 FRPs” says everyone in the NBA.
Wish lists are very in vogue right now. Feels very teeny bopper…
Orlando, if healthy, will be quite a team this coming season.
If magic and knicks don’t win a chip within 5 years are the respective moves they made failures?