The Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies pulled off the first blockbuster trade of the offseason on Sunday, with Desmond Bane heading to Florida in exchange for Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and four future first round picks. There's also a pick swap thrown in there for good measure, in what was a monster haul for the Grizzlies.
This deal also poses questions about what direction the Grizzlies could be heading next, with Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns mentioned by a source of sorts that as a player that the Grizzlies have already called about. Given that Kevin Durant will be leaving The Valley, it will be interesting to see what direction the Suns go themselves, having recently hired a first time head coach in Jordan Ott.
How Suns' 2026 first round pick ended up in Bane deal.
One of the more confusing elements of the picks the Grizzlies received was regarding a 2026 first that belongs to the Suns. That part is indeed true, but it is not quite as enticing as it might initially appear. That same pick was sent to the Charlotte Hornets earlier this season, when they dumped Jusuf Nurkic there.
You might also remember - and really how could you forget - that the Suns either gave away or else gave up the option to swap basically all of their remaining firsts this decade when they landed Bradley Beal. We all knew they'd continue to pay for that for a long time, and 2026 is obviously going to be no exception.
The part that has been forgotten by most is the David Roddy deal the organization did at the deadline back in 2023-24 (remember when Frank Vogel claimed he could see some time as the team's point guard? Fun times...), and which included the rights for the Grizzlies to swap picks in 2026 with the Suns. A pick that has been sent around the league like a boomerang at this point.
What that all means - and it has been summed up here excellently - is that the Wizards will get that first round pick if the Suns' get a better selection than them next year. Then the Magic get the right to swap if their pick is worse than the remaining pick, then the Grizzlies get the right to swap for that pick.
Then after all of that, the Hornets will get the least attractive remaining pick from all of those teams, and yet they're still the ones who have ended up with Nurkic on their roster. This is just the latest example of how convoluted things have gotten since Mat Ishbia took over, and the hope is that better days are coming for the franchise. Not through their own draft pick in 2026 though, no chance.