Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman rarely speaks to the media. He rarely gives hints of anything to the media. When the Orlando Magic act, it tends to take the league at least a bit by surprise.
So what would the Magic look like when Weltman declared on May 1, after the Magic's first-round series loss, that the Magic would be looking to make moves with a "win-now lens?" What would it look like for the Magic to begin spending their vast draft capital?
The Magic revealed that answer, making an all-in move to improve the team's shooting without compromising the team's defensive structure. Orlando may not have answered all of their major questions, but they made a big statement of their intent.
The Magic are indeed ready to win now. And they have put their money where their mouth is.
A league sources tells Orlando Magic Daily that the Magic have acquired Memphis Grizzlies forward Desmond Bane for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick, a first-round pick-swap right in 2029 and a 2030 first-round pick.
Shams Charania of ESPN was the first to report the deal.
It is a massive offer for one of the best volume shooters in the league and a clear sign of the Magic's desire to build a winning team and ownership's financial commitment to building a winning team (more on that in a future post).
Bane adds an all-star-level shooter
Desmond Bane averaged 19.2 points per game and shot 39.2 percent on 6.1 3-point attempts per game last year for the Memphis Grizzlies. He added 6.1 rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game.
And that was a relative down year for him.
Bane averaged more than 20 points per game in the two previous seasons. In his last three years, he has averaged 21.1 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 39.4 percent on 7.0 3-point attempts per game.
Bane is capable of having big scoring games, recording six games of 30 or more points last year, including a 44-point game against the Sacramento Kings.
Bane is coming off a poor playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He averaged 15.3 points per game and shot 7 for 32 from three in the four-game sweep. But he averaged 23.5 points per game in the 2024 Playoffs and 18.8 points per game in the 2023 Playoffs when the Grizzlies advanced to the second round.
While the Grizzlies were sixth in offensive rating last year and played a much more fast-paced style with more shooters, Bane should be able to help transform the Magic's offense by giving them another driver (he shot 52.5 percent on 10.5 drives per game last year according to data from Second Spectrum) and scorer and an elite catch-and-shoot option.
Last year, Bane shot 42.3 percent on 2.6 catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts per game according to Second Spectrum. In 2024, Bane shot 43.9 percent on 3.3 such attempts. And in 2023, he shot 40.5 percent on 3.5 attempts per game.
The Magic are getting the catch-and-shoot threat they have been hoping for if that carries over -- noting the whiplash from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's down season last year.
This move was made with the offense in mind. But Bane also has the reputation of being a plus-defender, too. At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, he can be a physical presence on the perimeter. Bane has never been a lockdown defender, but he has always been able to hold his own.
Ultimately, that seemed to be the driving force on this trade.
Magic maintain their philosophy
While there were a lot of other options rumored out there for more traditional point guards or combo guards, many of those players did not fit the team's defensive philosophy.
Desmond Bane helps solve the Orlando Magic's shooting and spacing issues. But what he does not resolve is the team's reported need for a point guard. If anything, this locks Jalen Suggs back into the starting point guard spot.
The move certainly still frees the Magic to develop Anthony Black as they see fit and maintain many of their other young players.
But Bane does not disrupt the team's core group of four players. It does not disrupt the path the team was on.
It does improve their backcourt significantly. But the Magic will still be trying to develop playmaking with non-traditional ball-handlers. What Bane adds is another option to that mix.
The Magic will be testing how desperately they need a point guard indeed.
But the Magic have added another high-level scorer. They have added another strong shooter. They have staked and backed up their claim that they would be making win-now moves this offseason.
With the draft capital they gave up and adding a starter-level player, the Magic have reshaped their starting lineup. They may not be done yet.
But Weltman promised the Magic would make a bold win-now move and the team has certainly delivered. With Orlando now a likely second apron team in 2027 after the Banchero extension kicks in, the team has clearly shown a commitment to winning and chosen its path for its future.
There is no turning back now. Orlando believes it has a championship-worthy team. And now the team has a young core to prove it.