On Sunday, the Orlando Magic shocked the NBA world by acquiring Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane for the steep price of four unprotected first round draft picks, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Cole Anthony, along with a pick swap. The move signaled that Orlando is all in on building around this current core, led by Paolo Banchero, and addressed the biggest need on their roster, which is their lack of perimeter shooting.

For Bane, the trade signals a fresh start after his Grizzlies had gone stagnant in recent years.

After the deal was announced by NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN, Bane took to his own account on X, formerly Twitter, to relay his two-emoji reaction to the news.

Bane certainly appears to be happy to be on his way to a Magic team that is on the rise in the Eastern Conference.

Are the Magic ready to compete?

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) brings the ball up court against Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) during the first quarter of game three of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center.
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With all due respect to Desmond Bane, four first round picks along with two rotational level players would appear to be a lot for a player who has never made an All-Star team.

Some fans and pundits compared the deal to the New York Knicks' trade for Mikal Bridges during the 2024 offseason, which helped propel them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025.

If the Magic can stay healthy (which has been a major caveat in recent years), they figure to have one of the stronger starting rotations in the Eastern Conference, with Bane sliding in next to Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr.

The Bane trade signals that the Magic's front office is well-aware of the team's shooting deficiency, but it remains to be seen whether that move alone will be enough to cover up that weakness. There is no recent historical precedent for an NBA team being a legitimate contender with each of its two best players being poor perimeter shooters, which Banchero and Wagner both currently are (albeit with plenty of time to change that).

In any case, the Magic will now hope to be contenders soon now that they've mortgaged off a large chunk of their future flexibility.