Grizzlies hand Magic another sign they won the Desmond Bane trade

The Orlando Magic made a significant offseason move by acquiring Desmond Bane, seen as a major win that elevates them into contention. Bane provides high-level shooting, ball-handling, and attacking ability, boosting their struggling offense without sacrificing their defensive identity. He is viewed as the perfect aggressive addition needed after consecutive first-round playoff exits, signaling the Magic pushing their chips in to improve around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

The acquisition came at a heavy cost: the Magic traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four future first-round picks, and a 2029 first-round pick swap. This move addressed the need to upgrade the starting shooting guard position after Caldwell-Pope's struggles, matching Bane's $34 million salary and giving up significant draft capital.

The Memphis Grizzlies, who traded Bane, have quickly moved several assets acquired from Orlando. They are working on a buyout for Cole Anthony and already traded two of the Magic's first-round picks (the No. 16 pick and a 2028 pick) to the Portland Trail Blazers on draft night for Cedric Coward. This means two picks and one player from the deal are no longer part of the Grizzlies' roster.

Memphis's motivation for the Bane trade was to shake up a stagnating roster and create salary cap space. This cap room was crucial for completing a renegotiate-and-extend deal with Jaren Jackson Jr. and facilitating other free agency moves like signing Santi Aldama and Ty Jerome (reportedly a 3-year, $28 million deal). The Grizzlies are actively rebuilding their roster around Ja Morant with a focus on adding shooting and playmaking.