The Orlando Magic made a blockbuster trade this offseason, acquiring Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies. It was such a big trade that Magic star Paolo Banchero couldn’t believe it was real.
“I just didn’t believe it,” Paolo Banchero told Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I had a feeling we were going to make a trade. But I felt like there were some guys that were kind of up on the list of who we would maybe trade for, at least in my head, and Desmond Bane was not one of them.
“So when I heard that one, I was like, ‘Desmond Bane!’ I was like, ‘S—, he’s a hell of a player.’ I was excited. Obviously, he was in the West, so (we didn’t) play him too much, but every time we played Memphis, man, he’d give it to us. And I just liked his whole demeanor and how he played, shooting the 3.”
The Magic traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, the 16th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, three future first-round picks and a first-round pick swap in 2029 to the Grizzlies for Bane, who has never made an All-Star team. The new Orlando starter will make $36.7 million this season.
Bane averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Grizzlies last season in 69 games. He shot 48.4% from the field, 39.2% from beyond the arc and 89.4% from the free-throw line.
The Magic lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games. With Bane in the fold, Banchero expects Orlando to be a contender this season.
“I think the sky is our limit,” Banchero said. “We’ve had our experiences in the playoffs, losing in the first round for two years. We brought guys in who made deep runs in the playoffs and been on some good teams. So I think we can go as far as we allow ourselves to go. The one thing you don’t want to do is beat yourself. Being a younger team, you have to be able to correct mistakes on the fly and in the moment. …
“I think we should be a deep playoff team. Hopefully, that means Finals. But if it’s anything shorter than that, then Eastern Conference finals. I want to play deep into the playoffs. I think that we have a deep roster. It’s easy to sit here and tell you this right now, but we’ve got to go out there and play the season and win those games when those games come. That’s what I’m excited for. But honestly speaking — seeing our team, seeing the guys so far — it’s early, but I think we have the type of team that can make a run to the Finals.”
Banchero is one of the best players in the NBA. He averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season while shooting 45.2% from the floor, 32.0% from 3 and 72.7% from the foul line.