Grizzlies' Desmond Bane (22) high fives fans as he walks off the court after the Grizzlies defeated the Mavericks 120-106 in the play-in game to secure a spot in the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, April 18, 2025. Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Desmond Bane Sends Sincere Message To Grizzlies After Offseason Trade

Originally posted on Memphis Grizzlies on SI
By Liam Willerup | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 2:59 PM ET

The Memphis Grizzlies finished last season with a 48-34 record, but likely could've had a Top 4 seed in the Western Conference, if not for a late-season collapse. Regardless, the Grizzlies snuck into the postseason after winning the final play-in game, but would lose in a four-game sweep to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It was evident after the loss that the Grizzlies weren't going to get any better without a move, so the front office decided to pull the trigger on a blockbuster deal to send Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for a plethora of draft picks and veterans in Cole Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. They'd use those draft picks to trade up for Cedric Coward and would buy out Anthony.

Desmond Bane Opens Up

ESPN ranks the Desmond Bane trade as the 2nd best move of the NBA offseason pic.twitter.com/AbNL6zinPY
— SleeperMagic (@SleeperOrlando) September 22, 2025

Now, with the preseason right around the corner, Bane sat down with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina to share his genuine thoughts on the Grizzlies and where his rooting interests are.

“I’m rooting for Memphis 80 games out of the year," Bane told Sportkeeda. "I hope they do well. I got a lot of guys out of there that are up for contracts and things like that. So I want it to work out for them and that they get everything that they deserve. So I’m looking forward toward seeing how they do, and hoping for the best of them. There’s no bad blood at all.”

Desmond Bane is expecting to take a career-high amount of 3-pointers this year as part of his new role with the @OrlandoMagic. Full pod below: https://t.co/3SmAEP7XCs pic.twitter.com/WrTW568aY2
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) September 25, 2025

There aren't any players set to expire in the 2026 offseason that Bane played with, but Vince Williams Jr., G.G. Jackson, and Jaylen Wells will all be extension-eligible come next offseason.

However, as Bane pointed out, he'll only be rooting for the Grizzlies for 80 of 82 games, given the two teams will be matching up in unique neutral sites.

in 2024-25, desmond bane was one of 8 players to eclipse 20 points on 60% TS, 5 assists and 4 rim attempts (per 75)

the other seven — shai, giannis, jokic, lebron, brunson, zion and butler. bane's scoring + playmaking + rim pressure brings a new dimension to orlando's offense pic.twitter.com/i7KXFMwsMn
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) July 21, 2025

“It’s going to be cool. We’re going to be out in Germany (Berlin on Jan. 15, 2026) and out in London (Jan. 18, 2026). We’re going to be locked in, for sure," Bane highlighted. It's set to be the first regular season game played in Germany, while the NBA has had a handful of contests in London, dating back to 2011.

While Bane's absence will be missed in Memphis, especially his outside shooting and duties as a secondary ball-handler, it was a deal that made sense for the immediate and long-term futures of both teams. Orlando got the missing piece they needed, while the Grizzlies can now extend their window around Ja Morant with more young players.

This article first appeared on Memphis Grizzlies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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