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Magic front office ‘didn’t expect’ Desmond Bane to be available
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- Magic front office ‘didn’t expect’ Desmond Bane to be available
Mike Watters-Imagn Images
The post Magic front office 'didn't expect' Desmond Bane to be available appeared first on ClutchPoints .
When news broke that the Orlando Magic were trading four first-round picks, a pick swap, Cole Anthony , and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Memphis Grizzlies for Desmond Bane , it took the professional sporting world by storm.
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Originally drafted with pick number 30 in the 2020 NBA Draft, Bane has been one of the feel-good stories on a Grizzlies team that has often earned headlines for the wrong reasons, even if he's never earned an All-Star berth for his efforts. Widely expected to be a core member of the Grizzlies moving forward, his trade availability was truly shocking to everyone, including Orlando themselves, who were surprised to learn he was gettable.
Discussing the decision to trade for the Grizzlies wing, Magic President Jeff Weltman told reporters he "didn't expect " to learn that Bane was on the block and knew his team needed to make a deal to bring him into town.
"You know, we've valued him very highly for a while. And, you know, there are a few guys in the league that you kind of agree with our little crew that if they become available, you're going to be aggressive," Weltman said. "And when I stood here in front of you guys after the season, I honestly didn't expect him to be, you know, available in these conversations. But when we learned about that, as we kind of did our laps around the league, we shifted gears and, you know, made it a priority for us."
While the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants may have ended the night with the biggest headline, as the Rafael Devers deal broke mere hours after the Bane deal , for a team like Orlando, who haven't made a trade since the Markelle Fultz deal in 2019, this was a huge splash. Suddenly, the Magic secured a backcourt offensive engine, one who can play both ways next to Jalen Suggs , and can now fully optimize Paolo Banchero as a point forward with an elite 3-point option on the wings. Even if some may quibble with the price, especially considering Kevin Durant is on the block, in the end, the Magic got their guy, and their president is incredibly excited about what he means for the future.
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