The Orlando Magic gave up four first-round picks for Desmond Bane, and he insisted that he is worth it.
On Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic agreed to a trade, swapping sharpshooter Desmond Bane for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks, and a pick swap.
While the deal immediately made the Magic better and allowed them to compete in a weak Eastern Conference, four picks for Bane, who has never been an All-Star, were met with criticism.
However, the Magic clearly got their guy, addressed outside shooting, which was their biggest weakness, without compromising their team identity.
Photo by Wes Hale/Getty ImagesBane fires back at criticisms
June has not been friendly to Stephen A. Smith. The hot-headed analyst, who rarely is positive about the NBA, was caught playing solitaire on his phone during Game 5 of the Finals, and has since gone on tirades targeting players like Ja Morant for personal beef.
The reporter should never be the story, and Smith seems to have forgotten that, although his criticisms about the trade were valid.
“He’s never been an All-Star,” Smith said. “I’m trying to figure out how he and Mikal Bridges, you know, you give up four unprotected first-round picks for these guys. I mean, that’s a lot.”
Bane, to his credit, willingly admits that the Magic gave up a haul for him, although he and Orlando are confident that the picks they gave up will be near the end of the first round, and the Magic are ready to kickstart their title run.
“If we do what we’re supposed to do, not to say the picks were invaluable, but they would have fallen in a place that, you know,” he countered.
“We got a lot of young talent here already in the building, and we have a lot of talent at the top of the roster. I think it was a perfect time for the organization to do what they did.”
Bane, of course, would never say that he’s not worth what the Magic paid, but he understands that there are tons of expectations now on his shoulders.
The Magic still have two picks to use, one in 2026 from the Denver Nuggets and their own in 2031, although the belief is that their core is already in place.
Bane is expected to stay the course in Orlando
Last offseason, the Magic made a splashy move, poaching champion free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Denver Nuggets with a lucrative, three-year deal.
KCP ended up having his worst shooting season since 2016 and scored the fewest points since his rookie season.
He was expected to be the missing, experienced piece to get the Magic over the hump, and while their injury-riddled season wasn’t his fault, he quickly established himself as trade fodder.
In the last four seasons, Bane has averaged a stellar 20.2 points while shooting 40.7% from deep. Much like KCP, he is an above-average defender, although he will have more responsibility on offense.
The Magic traded for Bane early in the summer, partly so he could spend the entire offseason learning their system and building chemistry with his new teammates. By the time the season starts, there should be no learning curve; he will be expected to be on the same page as his teammates.
Of course, the rest of the East is expected to make moves to compete, although the Magic, with their core of players all in their mid or early 20s, are expected to be a force for several years, even if they did overpay.