Desmond Bane trade details put pressure on Magic with former Grizzlies star

The Orlando Magic pushed their chips to the center of the table.

The offseason trade for Desmond Bane meant that there's no waiting around. This is a team that wants to contend for an NBA championship.

Maybe it's too big a swing, or maybe it's just the right time in an Eastern Conference that appears there for the taking.

Either way, the Magic have taken the swing. Now we wait to see if they connect.

Orlando's season gets underway Wednesday night against the Miami Heat. The Magic aren't a team that necessarily has a ton of eyes on them. But with Bane joining Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, this is as talented a group as Orlando has had in a long time.

The pressure is on.

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Desmond Bane trade details

The trade went down on June 15 between the Magic and Grizzlies:

• Magic get: Desmond Bane
• Grizzlies get: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, No. 16 pick in 2025 draft, Phoenix's 2026 first-round pick, Magic's 2028 unprotected first-round pick, Magic 2030 unprotected first-round pick, 2029 first-round pick swap

The Grizzlies used that No. 16 pick to move up a handful of spots in the 2025 draft and take Cedric Coward out of Duke.

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Why did the Magic trade for Desmond Bane?

The Magic saw an opportunity to be seized in the Eastern Conference.

Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton have torn Achilles. Giannis Antetokounmpo is involved in trade rumors. The Cavs can't win when it counts.

So they went and got the 26-year old 2-guard who is an underrated star.

In 2024-25, he averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 39.2 percent from 3.

Add in strong perimeter defense and the 6-foot-5 Bane isn't that far off from being a superstar-level talent.

The Magic had to give up a lot of future assets.

But they're betting that in the present, and for the next few years, Bane makes it more than worth it.

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