Details On Blockbuster Magic-Grizzlies Trade That Sends Desmond Bane To Orlando

The Memphis Grizzlies are sending guard Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round draft picks and a pick swap, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The deal gives Memphis the No. 16 pick in this year’s draft, Phoenix’s 2026 first-rounder, unprotected selections from Orlando in 2028 and 2030, and a lightly protected pick swap in 2029. It can be completed immediately, with both teams operating within the NBA’s salary-matching rules.

The Magic need perimeter shooting and they put in a lot of chips for Bane, who is somewhat quietly one of the league’s most efficient and reliable combo guards. He averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists last season, shooting nearly 48% from the field and just under 40% from three. He gives Orlando a scoring jolt it simply didn’t have on the perimeter last year, especially when things got tight.

Now Bane gets to run with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Sprinkle in Jalen Suggs and you’ve got a tough, talented, and suddenly very serious Eastern Conference team. The Magic might not be title-ready, but they’re making a push.

Orlando also gets contractual security, something teams crave when trading picks like Halloween candy. Bane just completed Year 1 of a five-year, $197.2 million extension. He’ll earn $36.7 million next season, with that number climbing to $44.9 million by the final year of the deal.

Memphis goes asset-heavy

For the Grizzlies, it’s a reset, not a rebuild.

Memphis walks away with five future picks and a pair of proven rotation players. That’s not nothing, especially if you’re thinking longer term around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. Caldwell-Pope, 32, is a known commodity. This two-time NBA champion won’t wow anyone but brings defensive stability and professional habits. He averaged 8.7 points this past season on a dip in efficiency but remains a trusted vet.

Anthony, 25, gives Memphis a spark off the bench. His role shrank in Orlando, but he can still get buckets in a hurry. If the Grizzlies want him long-term, he’s on a very reasonable contract.

The real play here, though, is flexibility. Memphis adds draft capital — the kind of ammo that can be used to build, flip, or pivot — and opens up financial options for the future. ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks noted Bane’s departure reduces Memphis’ available cap space slightly (from $6.9 million to $4.5 million), but with more deals, that could grow, especially if the goal is locking up Jackson long-term.

Cap crunch coming in Orlando

Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron reported that the trade puts Orlando at risk of triggering the second apron, the no-go zone for teams trying to remain flexible. The Magic can duck the tax by declining options on Moritz Wagner ($11 million) and Gary Harris ($7.5 million), but that might only be a temporary fix.

Long term, Orlando could be looking at a combined salary and tax bill north of $350 million by 2026-27 once Banchero’s expected max extension kicks in. That’s not a typo. But when you’re chasing wins, this is the cost of doing business.

Final Word

So, Orlando gets a go-to scorer. Memphis gets a pile of picks. And somewhere in the middle, both teams move one step closer to where they want to be — even if they’re not quite sure how they’ll get there yet.

Just another day in Adam Silver’s NBA.