Desmond Bane began his offseason with at least some inkling that he might be on the trade block this offseason. Even with the heads-up from the Memphis Grizzlies' front office, it still seemed far-fetched.
Bane was a solid young player who stepped up as a consistent scorer and improving playmaker for a Grizzlies team that was just a healthy season from being competitive in the Western Conference. Bane had just inked a five-year deal to stay in Memphis, even with the team getting somewhat concerned about their cap situation with Jaren Jackson Jr. set to sign an extension this summer.
Even if there was some warning and some thought that a trade might be in the offing, it was still a complete shock.
The rest of the league is still feeling the reverberations of the Shams Charania tweet that hit that late Sunday morning. The Magic traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks and a first-round pick swap for Desmond Bane.
The move was met with rave reviews from around the league. The fact that the Magic rose to the third favorite in the Eastern Conference on most sports books and have an over/under win total of more than 50 wins only confirms how much the Magic won this offseason.
It is not just media pundits and fans who thought the move was a good one. His former teammate, all-star guard Ja Morant, thought this was a great move for Bane and the Magic.
"I was shocked, personally," Morant told Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "I got the message from Des. To see it all over the internet, I thought the (expletive) was fake, honestly. It's best for both sides. Des is going to a very talented Orlando team. I feel like he's the piece that they've been missing."
That is certainly a pretty big endorsement coming from a star player and teammate who grew with Bane.
The Magic seemingly added an All-Star-level wing who could shoot but not take away from their budding stars in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
To many, Bane was a perfect fit. He was a secondary playmaker and ball-handler who could work on and off the ball. He was maybe not an elite defender, but he holds his own on that end.
Bane had a solid season for the Grizzlies, averaging 19.2 points per game and 5.3 assists per game. He shot 39.2 percent from three, marking just the second season shooting worse than 40 percent from three.
Bane has grown tremendously as a playmaker but was still very effective playing off of a star like Morant. That is one of the big reasons the Magic are so excited about bringing him in. It is why expectations have raised so much.