Desmond Bane was honest about how he felt after being traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Orlando Magic. After getting swept in the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Grizzlies decided it was time to make serious changes to the roster.
Another team that didn’t make it out of the First Round was the Orlando Magic. They lost to the Boston Celtics and clearly needed to make a major upgrade to stay in the playoff picture.
So, the two teams worked out a trade that sent Bane to the Magic in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, and several first-round picks. In a recent interview, Bane opened up about what it was like to leave Memphis.
Desmond Bane Regrets Leaving the Grizzlies With Unfinished Business
When a player gets traded from the only team he’s ever known, it usually hits hard. That was the case for Bane. He had mixed emotions about starting a new chapter with the Magic after being a key part of the Grizzlies’ core.
On the latest episode of “The Young Man and The Three” podcast, Bane shared what it felt like to be traded and leave Memphis behind.
“It’s hard to be happy about it, I’m not going to lie, because like yes, I was drafted there, yes, I had some success there, but we didn’t do what we were trying to do. You know, it almost feels like there’s a little bit of unfinished business. And it’s a business, you know what I’m saying?”
Bane continued, “So stuff happens, like people get moved, teams change. I’ve lost a lot of friends throughout my time of being in Memphis, so it’s like I can’t just be like, why me? Because it’s happened to a lot of people that I’m close to. But it definitely feels a little unsettling, but it is what it is. And we move on, and there’s beautiful opportunities ahead of me.”
The furthest Bane and the Grizzlies reached in the playoffs was a second-round series against the Golden State Warriors, which they lost. In recent years, the team had been stuck in the middle, far from being a real title contender.
Because of that, Bane believes there was still unfinished business in Memphis, and that feeling hasn’t gone away. Being traded left him with a bittersweet feeling. Now, it’s up to him to build something new in Orlando and take this chance to turn the page in his career.
