Selected 30th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, Desmond Bane was a great development success for the Grizzlies and evolved into a key piece. Desmond Bane played well this season and helped keep the Magic afloat after the new year, but the Grizzlies keep getting proven right for selling high on him last summer.
The Grizzlies lost a high-level player in Desmond Bane while the Orlando Magic gained his elite perimeter shooting and overall strong shot creation. In return, the Grizzlies received four unprotected first-round picks and a first-round swap alongside Cole Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Even before this season, it was a steep haul for Bane, and the same holds true in the present day.
The conversations revisiting the trade are not a knock on Desmond Bane's talents, but it is clear the Grizzlies are looking like the early winners of the trade so far.
The Grizzlies simply got a dream haul for Desmond Bane
In all fairness to Orlando, Franz Wagner's struggles with injuries in the regular season cost them plenty of wins, and it is likely they would've been seeded higher if he played more. Orlando's halfcourt offense also had some struggles that can be attributed to coaching. Regardless, despite Desmond Bane's talent, it seems like a clear overpay.
Without Desmond Bane's strong performances, there is a strong chance that the Magic would not have played playoff basketball this season. Even though they were tasked with a 60-win Detroit Pistons team in round 1 and lost Franz Wagner late in Game 4, Bane was simply not consistent enough.
For the series he averaged 18.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. Unfortunately, despite shooting 43.1% from three, Bane shot just 39.1% from the field in the series and struggled significantly inside the arc. Desmond Bane did not make the impact the Magic hoped for when trading for him, especially in the last two games when they needed his strong performances with Franz Wagner out.
The basketball fit between Desmond Bane and the Orlando Magic made perfect sense as to why the trade went down. But one thing is clear: the pick haul was a dream scenario, and that price is one that should resemble trading for an All-NBA-level player. Desmond Bane is a good player, but the Grizzlies lucked into an offer that they could not turn down.
The Grizzlies have the chance to keep getting better thanks to the trade
It is still unfortunate that the core three of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane could not win the Western Conference. However, the Grizzlies are in a tremendous position to rebuild quickly, and a huge reason is the Desmond Bane trade. As part of the trade package to move up and select Cedric Coward, the 16th pick of the 2025 NBA Draft and a 2028 first-round pick were used.
While Coward is not as good as Bane yet, he is showing all the signs of being a special player for the Grizzlies, and he could even have a similar year 2 leap to Bane's in Memphis. This does not yet factor in that the Grizzlies' 16th overall pick this year was also acquired from the trade. Losing Bane wasn't easy, but Cedric Coward and whoever they use the #16 pick on this year should yield strong results fast.
It is still very early to think about it, but the Grizzlies still have a 2029 first-round swap that is top-2 protected and a 2030 unprotected first from the trade. The Grizzlies struck gold with the trade considering they are already getting an immediate boost and more assets to make a big swing later on.
Trading a fan favorite like Desmond Bane is never easy, but it is blatantly obvious at this point that the Grizzlies made the right choice to move on when they did.
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