The Orlando Magic have been one of the early winners of the offseason.
Their move to acquire Desmond Bane was something that vaulted the Magic into contention, giving them a high-level shooter and another potential ball-handler and attacker to boost a lineup that was struggling on offense. Orlando did this without sacrificing their defensive identity too.
To many, Bane was a perfect fit for the team. He was the exact kind of aggressive move the Magic needed to make to elevate themselves and reach the next level after a second straight first-round exit.
The Magic saw this summer as the time to push their chips in and they pushed their chips almost all the way in to improve the roster around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
The only downside to the deal was the cost.
The Magic traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four future first-round picks and a first-round pick swap in 2029. It was a heavy cost, dumping major salaries to match Bane's $34.0 million salary and giving up essentially every first-round pick the Magic could give up to get their guy.
Undoubtedly, the Magic understood they needed to upgrade their starting shooting guard position after Caldwell-Pope struggled in his lone season in Orlando after signing a three-year, $66 million deal. Bane will certainly accomplish that.
It seems the Grizzlies are determined to keep him. But many of the Magic's other assets the Grizzlies acquired in the trade are already out the door.
Memphis has turned the Bane trade into the team's chance to reshape the team in free agency. But the question is whether this positions the Grizzlies better to build around Ja Morant.
Discarding so many pieces of the puzzle they acquired from the Magic certainly suggests the Magic did not give up the haul everyone thought.
The latest came on an active free agency monday for Memphis when Shams Charania reported the team is working on a buyout for Cole Anthony, who is in the second-year of a three-year extension but has a team option on the final year.
The Memphis Grizzlies also spent two of the Orlando Magic's first-round picks on Draft night, trading the No. 16 pick and the Magic's 2028 first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers to select Cedric Coward.
That is already two of the four first-round picks and one of the Magic's players acquired in the trade spent and no longer part of the Grizzlies' roster.
The Grizzlies' motivation to make the Bane trade was not only to mix things up with a roster that had sort of stagnated, but also to create the cap room to sign the renegotiate-and-extend deal they reached with Jaren Jackson Jr. on Monday.
Memphis needs to buyout Anthony's contract to create the cap space.
The Grizzlies have been super active to open free agency with the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal, new deal for Santi Aldama and the reported signing of Ty Jerome to a three-year, $28-million deal (the room mid-level exception). They clearly have a goal to rebuild their roster with shooting and playmaking.
Still, it is undeniable the Magic got a lot out of that deal. While the Grizzlies are retooling, the Magic spent a lot to get a lot and they are eying a deep playoff run. They got a player who should make the team's offense that much better.
With Memphis shedding assets from that trade quickly, it feels like the price Orlando paid was not nearly as high as it felt on the day the trade was made. It feels like the Magic positioned themselves to get closer to a championship while the Grizzlies had to retool themselves on the fly.
It is hard not to think Bane would still be a better option for the Grizzlies in the long run.