After hearing nothing about how the current Oklahoma City Thunder team is essentially composed of draft picks or players acquired from the Paul George trade, and the subsequent analysis that the new “blueprint” for NBA success is to essentially stock first-round picks and build a “team” it was somewhat shocking that “Shams” (ESPN’s NBA Breaking News Guru Shams Charania) reported Sunday afternoon that the Memphis Grizzlies just fleeced the Orlando Magic.
Magic GM Anthony Parker gave up four first-round draft picks, along with a pick swap. Might as well, throw in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Cole Anthony. This really did happen.
Per Shams, “The Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and one first-round pick swap Sunday.
Orlando sent Memphis the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, its 2026 first-round pick (which includes swap rights with the Phoenix Suns or Washington Wizards) and its 2028 and 2030 unprotected first-round selections. The pick swap is top-two protected in 2029.”
Stranger things have happened, but when the Memphis Grizzlies are contenders in 2028, we can thank Desmond Bane and of course the Orlando Magic.
