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Jalen Suggs reveals exactly what he told Desmond Bane straight after Orlando Magic trade announcement

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Jalen Suggs is ready for the Orlando Magic to take the next step after they landed Desmond Bane in the first trade of the NBA offseason.

The Orlando Magic pulled off the first blockbuster trade of the NBA offseason, adding sharpshooter Desmond Bane in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks, and a pick swap.

While the initial reaction suggested that the Magic overpaid for Bane, he has averaged an excellent 20.2 points on 40.7% shooting from deep, addressing a much-needed weakness in Orlando without compromising their elite defense.

While other Eastern Conference teams will surely make moves to bolster their roster this summer, the Magic seem poised to take the next step and make it out of the first round for the first time since 2010.

Bane’s new teammate, Jalen Suggs, was quick to lay out championship expectations.

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Bane brings offense, winning experience to Orlando

In four of his five NBA seasons, Bane has made the postseason, and he and the Grizzlies took the eventual champion Golden State Warriors to six games in 2022, and Suggs thinks Bane will find even greater success in Orlando.

“I was very excited about having a player of his caliber come in,” Suggs said. “I’m excited to get around him and spend some time with him. I texted him yesterday morning to say, ‘I’m excited to start this championship journey with you.’”

The Magic have a clear identity and have no plans to deviate from that. Last season, they ranked second in defensive rating and 27th in offensive rating.

While defense will remain the priority, they shot only 31.8% as a team from 3-point range, by far the worst in the league. The distance between the Magic and the 29th-place Washington Wizards (33.5%) was the same as the distance between the Wizards and the 22nd-ranked Utah Jazz.

While Bane brings offense, he is no stranger to doing the dirty work on the other end of the floor.

“We’re bringing another dog onto our roster,” Suggs added. “From everything that I’ve seen playing against him and hearing from people who have been around him, his mentality is elite.”

Expectations for Bane, Magic are clear

Paolo Banchero is already an All-Star, and Franz Wagner doesn’t seem far behind. Bane immediately becomes the third option on offense and the best shooter, addressing a long-standing weakness for the Magic.

While there are certainly more experienced and perhaps more talented teams in the East, no one is better on the defensive side of the ball in the conference, and now the Magic have finally taken care of their shooting problem.

With Suggs, Bane, Banchero, Wagner, and Wendell Carter Jr. all starting, the Magic won’t be able to bolster the depth with a first-round draft pick this summer, although they ranked a respectable 17th in bench points per game and 14th in defensive rating.

Their bench is average, although Mo Wagner missed much of the season, and Anthony Black is continuing to improve.

The Magic might not enter the season as title favorites, although they are the first team to make a move to take advantage of a weak Eastern Conference.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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