Shocking NBA trade that has everyone talking

A blockbuster trade has been confirmed by Jeff Weltman, President of Basketball Operations at Orlando Magic. The trade sees Desmond Bane joining the team in exchange for Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope plus 1st round draft picks in the 2025. 2026. 2028, 2029 (swap rights with top two protected), and 2030.

Discussing the trade, Weltman said “Desmond has distinguished himself as one of the elite guards in our league, and we look forward to his shooting, IQ and wide-ranging skill set in helping our team take a step forward.” He thanked Anthony and Caldwell-Pope for being “true professionals” and wished them well for their next steps.

Bane had an excellent season at the Grizzlies last season and appeared in 69 games, starting all but one of those. He was one of the top 10 in the league in free-throw percentage and scored an average of 19.2 points per game – more than Anthony (9.4 ppg) and Caldwell-Pope (8.7 ppg) combined last season.

Some have questioned why Memphis would let go of such a key player to the team, however, the Grizzlies are looking to the future. The focus for Memphis has been to clear up salary cap space in order to keep their two big stars – Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. The belief is that this trade will allow the team to offer Jackson more in his contract renegotiation and potentially lock him in on a longer deal.

The deal could also have an impact on the trade talks around Kevin Durant. With such a precedent set for a non-All-Star

player, any team looking to acquire Durant will have to offer a lot for the star to compete with this trade.

With the Boston Celtics looking to be a less dominant force next season after losing their key star, Jayson Tatum, to an Achilles injury, the Magic have it all to play for next season.