ORLANDO, Fla. — The newest member of the Magic is already rocking the number 3 in his Orlando threads, just two days after being traded to the team.
Shooting guard Desmond Bane went through a photo shoot at the Magic’s training facility and met with the Central Florida media on Tuesday.
What You Need To Know
The Magic got a look at new shooting guard Desmond Bane in his uniform on Tuesday
Bane was on a vacation in Florida when he found out he’d been traded to Orlando
The career 40%-plus 3-point shooter is expected to help improve the Magic’s percentage and create space on the court for teammates
Bane said he understands that Orlando’s goal is to go deep in the playoffs and thinks the team is a “great fit” for him
Turns out, the Magic were one of the teams on his wish list in the event he was to be traded.
“I was talking to my agent, prior to everything going down, after the season ended. If there was ever a chance of me getting traded, where is some of the spots you want to go?” Bane recalled. “I promise you, Orlando was right at the top of the list.”
Talk about stars aligning, Bane was vacationing in Florida when he found out he was being traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to Orlando.
The Magic gave up a lot to get him — guards Cole Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, four first-round picks in future NBA Drafts and a pick swap.
But the direction Orlando is heading is clear.
“It’s time to win,” Bane said. “It’s pretty much as simple as that. Not to say the (draft) picks weren’t valuable. But, like I said, we got a lot of young talent here in the building, and we have a lot of talent at the top of the roster.”
As for Bane’s fit with the rest of Orlando’s roster, he’s exactly what the Magic needed.
Last season, Orlando had the worst 3-point shooting percentage in the NBA during the regular season in almost a decade at 31.8%. Bane has shot above 40% from the 3-point arc for his career.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said he believes Bane can add a factor the Magic desperately need.
“Space. You see a lot of space,” Mosley said Tuesday. “His ability to shoot the basketball, create his own shot, handle the basketball in different areas. He’s used to playing fast. That’s what we’ve talked about being able to speed our game up. So, his ability to do that, he’ll fit right in when it comes to that.”
Bane got the chance to meet with his head coach earlier this week, and he’s excited to get to work.
“I asked him, like, ‘Yo coach, what you want from me?’ He said, ‘Be you. On the court, off the court, just be yourself.’ That just gave me the ultimate confidence that this is going to be a great fit and a great spot for me,” Bane said.
Major trades have a history of making the Magic successful. Every time they have made the NBA Finals, it started with a trade — Penny Hardaway in 1993 and Rashard Lewis in 2007.
Bane said he is hoping to be the next missing piece to a deep playoff run.