ORLANDO, Fla. — The NBA Eastern Conference is wide open this season, and the Orlando Magic went all in during mid-June when they traded for one of the best two-way players in the league in hopes that he will help the team achieve new heights.

What You Need To Know

Desmond Bane was the Magic’s key acquisition in the offseason

Orlando traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and multiple future draft picks to acquire Bane

The shooting guard has shot over 40% for his career

President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said he believes that this summer was the time to add a player like Bane to the roster

It came at a high price. To acquire shooting guard Desmond Bane from the Grizzlies, the Magic sent to Memphis last year’s key free-agent pickup, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope; guard Cole Anthony, an emotional leader and scoring spark off the bench; the 16th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft; three future unprotected first-round picks and a pick swap.

“Part of the reason that we felt comfortable in pursuing a guy like Dez was because of the growth of our young players — you know, Franz (Wagner), Paolo (Banchero) and Jalen (Suggs),” Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said. “Like those guys have just continued to make strides, continue to absorb information and come back better every season. So, you know, we’re trending the right way.”

At Memphis, Bane was a fan favorite off the court and one of the team’s top offensive players on the court. He was third in scoring at 19.2 points per game and third in rebounding at 6.1 per game. When starting point guard Ja Morant had to miss games with injuries over the years, he also was able to run the offense and finished second in assists last season with 5.3 per game. At 27 years old, he also fits into the time frame of the roster that Weltman has built and is under contract for four seasons, including this one.

“You can see right here this young man walks in, takes over the press conference,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “This is that veteran leadership. He shouldn’t do it to the head coach, but that’s OK. I don’t mind ‘cuz this is who he is, who he is going to be for this franchise — a leader, communicator, tough as nails.”

Orlando was the worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA last season, and Bane has shot over 40% from behind the 3-point arc over his career, taking the shots at a higher volume than Caldwell-Pope did with the Magic.

Bane said he expects that trend to continue in Orlando, and the Magic are counting on that shooting ability to help open up the offense for the team, especially forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

“Nothing different than what I’ve done, uh, in all my past stops,” Bane said. “…I mean, just play with pace, um, good decision-maker on and off the ball, lead, be a dog defensively, um you know, all those things that I’ve done.”

When Bane arrived in Orlando, he wasn’t shy about saying now is the time for the Magic to move higher in the playoff picture. He said he is eager to be part of that climb.

“Tyus (Jones) and I was talking about it, like, you want to be in a position where you’re playing on a team that has a chance to do something special,” said Bane, who along with Jones was on the Grizzlies team that won 56 games and made it to the Western Conference semifinals in the 2021-22 season.

“I mean, I’ve gotten a training camp when we’re missing guys and, you know, just trying to keep the ship afloat, you know, per se, but you know, it’s good to to be in a position where we’re expecting (to be successful).”