The Memphis Grizzlies are trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks and a first-round pick swap, reports ESPN's Shams Charania. For a Memphis roster that has been in need of a shakeup, seeing Bane traded isn't entirely surprising, but the return the Grizzlies got certainly raises eyebrows.
For the Magic, they add some much-needed shooting depth, and get a guy who can do a little bit of everything offensively, and an holds his own on defense, too. It's a massive haul for the Grizzlies, who get four unprotected first-round picks, as well as a pick swap. One of those picks is the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which allows the Grizzlies to add more depth around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. Getting KCP gives the Grizzlies a defensive-minded veteran player, and Anthony can be a quality backup guard to Morant.
By swapping Bane for two players plus a haul of picks, the Grizzlies create a more balanced roster, and have draft capital to use for the future either to try and add more high-end talent, or to use if this core ultimately doesn't work and Memphis decides to head in a different direction down the line. February reports indicated that the Grizzlies could look to trade Morant at some point, either at the trade deadline or this summer, but Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman shut that down quickly at the time, saying "We are not trading Ja. ... I'm not going to give this nonsense further oxygen."
The surprising aspect about this whole thing is the massive return Memphis got for Bane. Think back to what the Dallas Mavericks got for Luka Doncic, just one future first-round pick from the Lakers, for a guy who finished in the top three of MVP voting, earned five first-team All-NBA mentions and is a five-time all-star, too. Bane has none of those accolades to his name, and yet he just fetched the return of what an MVP-caliber player should be getting on the trade market.
If anything, this sets the tone for what should be a very active trade market this summer. If trading Bane gets you four unprotected first-round picks, think of what someone like Austin Reaves or Derrick White, two similarly important role players, could get the Lakers or Celtics if they do indeed part ways with those guys.
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