The Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies made the first major trade of the NBA offseason, and it stands to shake up the entire league.
On Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic agreed to a trade that would send shooting guard Desmond Bane to Florida in exchange for a massive haul of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and one first-round pick swap.
While adding Caldwell-Pope and Anthony suggests that the Grizzlies could remain competitive, the Western Conference is as crowded as ever, and the return of four first-rounders indicates that Memphis is poised to rebuild.
As the first trade of the offseason, Memphis and Orlando are obviously affected the most, although the rest of the league will feel some shockwaves. In the immediate aftermath, three clear winners and losers emerge.
Bane is a very good player and is one of the best shooters in the NBA, although he will likely never be an All-Star and is not a franchise centerpiece. Still, the Grizzlies managed to land four picks and a swap, as well as two hard-nosed guards in Anthony and Caldwell-Pope, one of whom has championship experience.
As the Magic try to win now in a weak East, the Grizzlies took advantage of their desperation and timeline, and are able to take a step back in a crowded West, getting ready to re-tool. They robbed the Grizzlies, but the trade validated the New York Knicks’ decision.
Last offseason, New York sent Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, a pick swap, and five picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges. Bridges, like Bane, is a very good player but is not quite a true “star,” and the Knicks got lambasted for their overpay.
Much like the Magic, the Knicks were desperate to add talent, and now they are not the only team in the last 365 days to make a trade of that magnitude for someone who, at the end of the day, is just a very good role player.
The Phoenix Suns, meanwhile, have not made their blockbuster trade, but it is only a matter of time before Kevin Durant gets dealt away. Durant is aging and on a much worse contract than Bane, but even in his late 30s, is a better player than Bane ever will be.
There were concerns in Phoenix that Durant would not fetch much of a return this offseason, although the trade between Orlando and Memphis serves as a barometer, setting the asking price for quality players and perhaps resetting the trade market for the Suns.
Depending on how you look at the trade, Ja Morant might have emerged as a winner, although one thing is clear: the clock is ticking on his time in Memphis.
KCP underperformed in his first season with the Magic, resulting in him being sent to a team less poised to win now, and if he is unable to re-find his championship-worthy form and the Grizzlies get off to a slow start, Morant might find himself on the trade block.
A change of scenery might do Morant well, but he is still the face of the Grizzlies, and any team that trades for him would make him a complementary piece, not a centerpiece.
For receiving a demotion and likely being next in line to get one, KCP and Morant are clear losers.
The Magic, meanwhile, find themselves in a similar spot to the Knicks last season. They have a clear-cut starting five of Jalen Suggs, Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter, and like the Knicks, had their depth slashed.
Everything said about New York after it traded for Bridges can be said for the Magic now, and there wasn’t a lot of positivity immediately after that deal.
