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Desmond Bane Makes Honest Admission About Time With Grizzlies After Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gautam Varier | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 2:24 PM ET

Desmond Bane was the centerpiece of the first big trade of this summer, with the Memphis Grizzlies sending him to the Orlando Magic. The Magic gave up a lot for Bane, with the Grizzlies acquiring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks, and a future first-round pick swap in the deal.

The trade brings an end to Bane's five-year tenure with the Grizzlies. It was the Boston Celtics who had selected him with the 30th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but they sent him to Memphis as part of a three-team deal on draft night.

Bane had a productive rookie season with the Grizzlies, making the All-Rookie Second Team in 2021, and it would prove to be a sign of things to come.

Bane would form one of the best young backcourt duos in the NBA with Ja Morant, and the two led the Grizzlies to the second seed in the West in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Postseason success would elude the franchise, however, as the farthest they got with this duo was the Western Conference semifinals in 2022.

Not achieving the goal of winning a championship led to Bane admitting during an appearance on the "Young Man and the Three" podcast that he isn't happy about his time with the Grizzlies.

"It's hard to be happy about it, I'm not going to lie," Bane said on the Young Man and the Three. "Yes, I was drafted there. Yes, I had some success there, but we didn't do what we were trying to do. It almost feels like there's a little bit of unfinished business."

Bane finished his Grizzlies career with averages of 17.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. The 26-year-old is hoping his time with the Magic proves to be more successful.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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