SportSpyder - The Latest Memphis Grizzlies News

16 June 2025

• [Hoops Rumors] - Grizzlies Notes: Trade, Finances, Kaldwell-Pope, Coaching Staff
  In trading Desmond Bane, the Grizzlies moved on from a player who is possibly the best shooter in franchise history in a deal that has sweeping franchise implications, writes Damichael Cole for Memphis Commercial Appeal. In addition to his offensive workload, Bane had also assumed a prominent leadership role over the years. Cole writes that […]
• [Sports Illustrated] - Desmond Bane Traded to the Magic: How This Affects the Brooklyn Nets
  The Orlando Magic trading for Desmond Bane may not directly affect the Brooklyn Nets, but there's certainly something they can take away from it.
• [Bluff City Media] - The Daily Grind Ep. 318: Desmond Bane, Orlando Bound
  On today's show, after breaking down every aspect of the Memphis Grizzlies trading away Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic we'll preview everything surroundin...
• [The Athletic] - In Desmond Bane trade, Grizzlies and Magic make opposite bets for the future
  With this deal, Orlando's core is clearly defined, and Memphis has the assets to keep reshaping its roster.
• [Sports Illustrated] - Kings Predicted to Target Ja Morant After Desmond Bane Trade
  The Memphis Grizzlies shocked the NBA world on Sunday morning by trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic, setting the tone for a 2025 offseason with wild expe
• [Sports Illustrated] - Kings Land Defensive Star in NBA Trade Idea to Pair With Domantas Sabonis
  Well, the first massive domino to what should be a very entertaining NBA offseason has fallen. The Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic fo
• [Action News 5] - ‘Um...WHAT?!,’ Why the Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to Orlando
  After a shocking trade no one saw coming, there are two questions for the Memphis Grizzlies fanbase. Why did the Grizzlies trade away their star guard, Desmond Bane? And secondly, where does Memphis go from here?
• [The Score] - Desmond Bane will be worth the price Orlando paid for him
  The first big move of the NBA offseason - well, near-offseason - didn't feature Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant, but rather Desmond Bane, with the Orlando Magic taking a big swing to vault themselves up the Eastern Conference hierarchy.Here's how the trade breaks down for both sides:Magic receive: Desmond BaneGrizzlies receive: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, 2025 No. 16 pick, 2026 1st-round swap, 2028 1st-round pick, 2029 1st-round swap, 2031 1st-round pickA risk worth taking for Orlando Adam Hagy / NBA / Getty ImagesAt first glance, it's an incredibly steep price to pay for a zero-time All-Star. But that undersells the caliber of player Bane has become, how well he fits the Magic, and where Orlando finds itself in the competitive cycle, which is suddenly the fringes of contention.Bane isn't a top-tier creator, but he's underrated in that regard and far more than just a play-finisher or catch-and-shoot specialist. The 26-year-old is a legitimate three-level scorer who brings the shooting, spacing, and movement desperately needed to unlock a Magic offense that hasn't finished higher than 22nd in efficiency since 2012.A career 41% 3-point shooter on more than six attempts per game, Bane can punish teams on or off the ball. He's averaged 20 points per game over the last four years while flirting with 50-40-90 shooting splits, and he's grown considerably as a playmaker.One of the most impressive aspects of Bane's offense has been his ability to maintain efficiency while creating more of his own looks. As a rookie during the 2020-21 season, only 29.1% of Bane's 2-pointers were unassisted and just 6.8% of his 3-pointers were self-created. In 2024-25, Bane created 57.4% of his 2-pointers and 36.6% of his long-range buckets, while posting the exact same 60% true shooting mark in Years 1 and 5 of his career.Bane's negative wingspan has often been cited as a defensive concern, but he puts forth an honest effort on that end of the court, and he'll be well insulated as part of an elite - and sizeable - defense in Orlando.The Magic are a more complete team today, with an offense that should be much tougher to shut down going forward. Bane's arrival will feel like manna from heaven for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, whose jobs are going to get a lot easier with the former Grizzly running routes around them. That's a scary thought for opponents, considering what Banchero and Wagner have already been able to accomplish with so little spacing to work with.Bane's contract will be a point of contention for some, with more than $163 million owed to him over the next four years. But it's important to remember that the league's salary cap should grow by 10% year over year, thanks to a massive influx of new media rights money. In that context, Bane's salaries will be worth 23.7%, 23.2%, 22.5%, and 21.8% of the cap, respectively. That's fine for a player of his ilk.Surrendering control of five first-round picks is stomach-turning, but the Magic projected to be a middling East team, at worst, before this deal was consummated. The chance any of those picks would've turned into a Bane-level player was slim. Could that draft capital have been stashed and eventually spent on a bigger star? Perhaps, but it's unlikely the Magic were going to win any of the upcoming superstar sweepstakes. In the mean time, they've added a borderline All-Star just entering his prime, who fills a team need and is under contract through 2029.Bane himself is an attractive asset, just like Banchero, Wagner, and starting point guard Jalen Suggs. Orlando still has plenty of maneuverability if needed.The Magic also have a dynamite two-way core - all 26 and younger - under long-term team control, which gives them a real chance in a wide-open conference. Not every team would've taken this shot, but kudos to Orlando for doing so.What's next for Grizzlies? Joe Murphy / NBA / Getty ImagesBane's departure marks the end of the road for a star trio that was supposed to be the Western Conference's next big thing. That core – which also featured Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. - peaked too soon and fell well short of early expectations. That's no fault of Bane, who quietly added to his game while taking on more offensive responsibility for a banged-up squad that too often went to battle without Morant. Still, as much as this trade was a bet worth making for Orlando, who landed the deal's best player by a country mile, it's also tremendous value for Memphis, no matter which direction the Grizzlies are headed. If a rebuild is on the horizon, there are certainly worse ways to launch one than with control of an extra five first-rounders. And if the Grizzlies still plan on competing with Morant and Jackson leading the charge, they've created some longer-term cap flexibility, which could come in handy given Jackson is extension-eligible this summer. They also added a 3-and-D veteran in Caldwell-Pope, who should be due for a bounce-back of some sort after a do...
• [Sportskeeda] - 3 reasons why Orlando Magic won the Desmond Bane trade with Grizzlies
  On Sunday, the Orlando Magic announced that they would be acquiring Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for two players and multiple draft picks.
• [Hoops Wire] - Magic Go All-In On Desmond Bane. Will Price Be Worth It?
  After trading for Desmond Bane in what could become the defining move of Jeff Weltman’s tenure as president of basketball operations, the Orlando Magic left little doubt: they are officially in win-now mode. The Magic have suffered through consecutive first-round playoff losses, both defined more by offensive droughts than defensive lapses. They clearly decided enough […] The post appeared first on .