Third from the bottom in the Western Conference + fifth from the bottom in the Eastern Conference! Less than a month after the start of the season, the first lose-lose trade of the season has occurred

Due to injuries to Taylor Haliburton, Jayson Tatum and others in turn, this season's Eastern Conference pattern has undergone tremendous changes. From the outside, the young Magic team has a chance to break through from the Eastern Conference under the leadership of Paul Banqueiro and Franz Wagner after reaching the playoffs for two consecutive years.

Perhaps they also saw the changes in the Eastern Conference teams. The Magic's management also made relevant signings during the offseason. One of them was straightforward. They traded with the Grizzlies to acquire sharpshooter Desmond Bane and sent Kentavis Cowherd. Dwyer-Pope, Cole Anthony and 5 first-round picks, but what is unexpected is that less than a month after the start of the season, this transaction has basically declared a lose-lose situation. Let us take a look at how these players are performing now!

Bane lost in Orlando, and the Magic's record declined.

First of all, let’s talk about the situation of the popular Magic team, which is regarded as the hegemon in the Eastern Conference. This season they have not been able to show the defensive ability they were proud of in the past. Although Banqueiro and Wagner have good statistics, their overall efficiency has not increased but declined. The team’s current record is very average, only ranking tenth in the Eastern Conference. This is far from the prediction of the top three in the Eastern Conference before the start of the game.

Of course, the reason behind this is also very simple, that is, the team has not been able to achieve the expected results, especially Bain. The team has worked hard to get him, hoping that he can make up for the team's worst outside shooting problem. Last season, Bain averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. His shooting and three-point shooting percentages were maintained at 48.4% and 39.2% respectively. He is one of the best three-point shooters in the league, so it is reasonable for the Magic to want him, but the bargaining chip is indeed too big.

Not only that, after coming to the team, Bayne also failed to perform like the Grizzlies, averaging only 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, and his shooting and three-point shooting percentages were only 41.4% and 28.6% respectively. This is obviously not comparable to the Grizzlies period. In the Magic's system, Bane's positioning is very awkward. He simply cannot find the style of play he played during the Grizzlies. He often makes low-level mistakes and even overlaps with his teammates' running positions.

In the last game, maybe he had been suppressed for a long time. He actually vented his anger on the defensive end and fouled the Eagles Diokongu fiercely. He was eventually ejected, which greatly disappointed Magic fans. Now the Magic may have regretted it. After all, in order to get him, they directly lost 2 players and as many as 5 first-round picks, and even 4 of the picks were unprotected. If the Magic's record in the past few seasons does not meet the requirements, then these draft picks are likely to help the Grizzlies increase their strength.

The new aid provided little help and the Grizzlies struggled.

Let’s talk about the Grizzlies. They have made up their mind to send away Bane this time. Although the team’s top management said many times in interviews during the offseason that they still plan to build the team with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. as the core in the future, their performance has declined significantly recently, and there are endless rumors about their trade. If the team’s decline cannot be reversed, the team may rebuild again.

The arrival of Pope is not a perfect time at all. Although he is still a starter, he can only contribute 8.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He is too positioned as a 3D. His current three-point shooting rate is only 30.6%, and his defense is of no use. He can be called a useless existence. After Cole Anthony was traded to the team, the Grizzlies didn't even plan to keep him and directly announced layoffs. In the end, the 25-year-old guard completed a contract with the Bucks.

What is unexpected is that this layoff seems to be a wrong choice, because after Anthony was signed by the Bucks, he quickly performed well and currently averages 11.1 points and 3.3 baskets per game. He averaged 51.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists, and his shooting percentage directly reached 51.6%. Although the three-point shooting is still not ideal, his personal efficiency is still quite good. He has basically locked a spot in the Bucks' rotation. This is probably something the Grizzlies did not expect at all.

Of course, the good news is that the team got 5 draft picks, even in the first round. If the Magic's record in the future is still tepid, these picks are likely to be of great help to the team. But the problem is that the current Grizzlies are also riding a tiger. With Morant and Jackson as the core, they have indeed achieved certain results in recent years, but their upper limit seems to have been reached. How to carry out the next step of the plan is also in a dilemma.