Magic, Jeff Weltman 'valued' Desmond Bane, who became 'priority' for Orlando

Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel on Jun 16, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

ORLANDO, Fla. — The decision to trade guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and multiple future first-round picks to acquire Desmond Bane from the Grizzlies was one Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman described as easy to make.

Speaking with the media Monday inside the AdventHealth Training Center for the first time since Sunday’s blockbuster trade, Weltman declined to share the exact timing of the conversations between Orlando and Memphis but did say the process took time and the move “wasn’t a quick hitter.”

“We valued him very highly for a while,” Weltman said about Bane. “There are few guys in the league that if they become available, you’re going to be aggressive. When I stood here after the season, I honestly didn’t expect him to be available in these conversations.

“But when we learned about that as we did our laps around the league, we shifted gears and made it a priority for us,” Weltman added.

Why did Bane become a priority for the Magic?

In the eyes of Weltman and Orlando’s front office, Bane “checks every box” to help the team take the next step after back-to-back first-round exits in the playoffs.

Bane is one of just seven players to average at least 20 points and 5 assists per game while shooting above 39% on 3-pointers over the last three seasons, according to Stathead.com.

During 69 games this past year, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 39.2% from 3-point range on 6.1 attempts.

Meanwhile, Orlando shot a league-low 31.8% on 3-pointers, averaged the third-fewest points (105.4) and finished with a bottom-five offensive rating (108.9).

“The guy is almost the player you would design if you could start from scratch,” Weltman said, “because obviously we’ve spoken a lot about our need for shooting but we’ve also talked about playmaking and adding skill. … Desmond is such a unique player because he’s one of the best shooters in the NBA, but he’s also a gifted playmaker and he generates shot-creation for himself and others.

“He creates advantages with and without the ball,” Weltman added.

But in order to land such a player in a trade, there comes a notable cost.

Orlando sent Memphis, in addition to Caldwell-Pope and Anthony, the No. 16 pick in the upcoming 2025 draft, a first-round pick in 2026 (which includes swap rights from either Phoenix or Washington), a first-round pick in 2028, the swap rights to a first-round draft pick in 2029 (top two protected) and a first-round draft pick in 2030.

While the Magic knew where they were picking in this year’s draft, they don’t know for certain where they’ll be selecting down the road.

They also still own the No. 25 pick in next week’s draft along with multiple second-round selections.

“That’s up to us to determine what the value of those picks are,” Weltman said about the future picks. “We’re betting on ourselves.”

The reason why the Magic were comfortable with parting ways with some draft capital was because they feel confident about their future, which in their mind just got brighter with the addition of Bane.

“We feel like we’re going to be a good team,” Weltman said. “We feel that the other unique thing about a guy like Des being available to obtain in a trade is the fact that he’s just about to turn 27, so if we are a good team then we hope to be a good team for a while.

“Hopefully we’ll have this group together for a long time wearing Magic uniforms,” he added. “That will determine what the value of those picks are, and some of this is what the NBA is about. It’s betting on yourself. It’s putting pressure on yourself and elevating your standard.”

Although Weltman said he had no previous relationship with Bane, Orlando spent time compiling data and information about him as a player and person.

Bane, who will wear No. 3 for the Magic, was on vacation in Florida when the trade happened, according to Weltman, who FaceTimed him with coach Jamahl Mosley on Sunday once terms were finalized.

The Magic president described Bane as an “old-school tough guy” who is “locked in every night.”

“There aren’t too many people that I think the league regards as highly in their locker room, in their organization [and] in practice as Desmond Bane,” Weltman said. “He is, by all accounts, one of those rare guys that is going to, I believe, impact our team in every possible way.”