What Nobody is Saying About Grizzlies Losing $197 Million Star

In the middle of June, the Grizzlies made the first big trade of the 2025 NBA offseason, shipping star guard Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic. In return, the Grizzlies received Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and a first-round pick swap.

The Grizzlies have since bought out Anthony, as he has found a new home with the Milwaukee Bucks, and used two of the first-round picks that they received in the trade to move up to pick 11 and select Cedric Coward.

So, as it stands, the Grizzlies traded away Bane and two second-round picks for Caldwell-Pope, Coward, two unprotected first-round picks, and a pick swap. While on paper that seems like a talent downgrade, it will not be as shocking a change in Memphis as many expect.

Grizzlies' benefit

Many fans and media outlets jumped on the Magic train after the trade, getting excited about a star trio of Bane, Paolo Banchero, and Franz Wagner, while leaving the Grizzlies behind as a second thought.

However, do the Grizzlies benefit from this trade?

For starters, the Grizzlies are getting out of Bane's contract. Bane is entering the second season of a lucrative five-year, $197.2 million contract, and while he might be worth a good amount of money, the Grizzlies do not need to have three max-caliber contracts on their payroll.

On top of the Grizzlies shedding some money, the team was 10-3 without Bane last season. Granted, we should take that with a grain of salt, but the current team is more than capable of winning games without him. Replacing Bane with another off-ball threat in Caldwell-Pope, who should undoubtedly bounce back from a disastrous shooting year, is not that scary a change.

The Grizzlies also added Ty Jerome in free agency to be a secondary ball-handler alongside Morant, as Bane was at times, which is a very underrated pick-up in itself. All in all, the Grizzlies should be much better off than many expect for the 2025-26 season, but are still a piece or two away from competing in the Western Conference.