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How the Desmond Bane trade to division rival impacts the Hornets

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Austin Leake | Last updated Jun 15, 2025 4:39 PM ET

The NBA off-season is just beginning and the Hornets division rival made a huge splash by acquiring Desmond Bane on Sunday morning. The Orlando Magic desperately needed some shooting to their roster and they certainly get that with Bane, but at what cost?

Orlando is sending to Memphis the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Phoenix's first-round pick in 2026, Magic 2028 unprotected first-rounder and Orlando's 2030 unprotected first, sources said. Pick swap is lightly protected in 2029. https://t.co/DeWziUWLkv
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2025

The Magic sent four first-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies, along with a solid bench piece in Cole Anthony and a veteran in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was on an expensive contract. Giving up that amount of picks plus a solid piece in Cole Anthony is very pricy.

The Hornets' division rival appears to be going all in, as they're looking to be more than just a yearly first-round exit or play-in team. Now, the Magic did sacrifice a decent amount of their future with those picks, but the Bane fit in Orlando is perfect.

The Magic making a major move like this was expected, as they were a team that many expected to make a splash this off-season. However, a lot of people believed it would be for a point guard and one of the point guards linked to them was LaMelo Ball.

It's important to note that there were never any rumors of the Hornets trading Ball or the Magic being heavily interested, but for the past couple months, Ball and Orlando were linked by the media as a perfect fit.

WIth the Bane trade, it likely rules out any interest the Magic would potentially have in the Hornets star. As well, they gave up so much in the deal with the Grizzlies that they wouldn't have much else to offer in another deal.

In the 2024-2025 season, the Southeast Division was very weak, the Magic held the most wins in the division with 41 wins. Orlando will certainly be looking to have more wins than that next season, while the Hornets will be looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-2016 season.

Orlando might have improved their roster in the short-term, but whether this move pays off in the long run will be something to keep an eye on. The Hornets aren't in a position to make a trade similar to what the Magic did, but maybe that's not a bad thing.