Desmond Bane elucidates Orlando Magic fit, seperation between him and Steph Curry, "no bad blood" with Memphis Grizzlies and more (EXCLUSIVE)

Regardless of the circumstances around him, Desmond Bane appears to maintain the same demeanor.

Through frequent shooting streaks and minimal slumps, he stays disciplined with his shooting routine. Despite the Memphis Grizzlies unexpectedly trading him to the Orlando Magic on Father’s Day, Bane said he doesn’t harbor any resentment toward a franchise he helped make four playoff appearances in five seasons (2020-25). While juggling both a move and a newborn this past summer, Bane has relished managing both family and offseason training responsibilities.

Therefore, Bane sounded both at ease and excited as he spoke with Sportskeeda over the phone about his busy summer and the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

How has the offseason treated you, with both some time to unplug, but also to prepare yourself for playing for a new team with the Magic?

Bane: “It’s been busy with just moving and changing location. We had a kid right at the end of the season and in the playoffs last year. So we’re getting him into having a nice, little routine and stuff like that. So it’s been busy. But it’s been fruitful and it’s been good. I think I took the appropriate amount of time to put the work in, but also get off my feet, rest and give my body a chance to reset. I’m super excited. I think we can do something special.”

Desmond, congratulations to you and your family on your news. With whatever you’re comfortable sharing, what has the offseason looked like with managing family responsibilities, enjoying family time and your off-season prep?

Bane: “I don’t think we’ve had to really overly complicate it. Now that we’re settled here in Orlando, my son has been going to school. So I’ll take him to school in the morning. As soon as I drop him off, I’ll head over to the facility. I’ll usually finish up around 3 pm or so. I’m actually driving home now. I’ll pick him up from school, head to the house and then be a Dad for the rest of the day. It has been nice to have both of those things to keep my life full and meaningful.”

Knowing the value that you bring with joining a new team, what have been the things you’ve done to prepare for that?

Bane: “It’s really about just trying to connect with the players and trying to connect with the staff. I’m trying to get comfortable and meet new people so they know how I operate and they know how I work. It’s been good to be able to be down here and put faces to the name and build that bond.”

I also read that you and some on the team did some work in Vegas. What were the highlights that came out of that?

Bane: “We had everybody in Vegas besides the guys that were playing in EuroBasket, of course. But everybody else came down. It was super cool. We had some dinners that were fruitful. Players were able to get the chance to talk about their summers and talk about what they envision for the season and how we’re going to hold everybody accountable to our goal and what it is that we want to accomplish. It was all of those different type of things. But we were also able to mix in some fun where we’re just kicking it and doing our thing. It was a real good summer.”

How do you think you and players like Paolo [Banchero], Jalen [Suggs], Franz [Wagner] and everyone else bring the best out of each other?

Bane: “I think my skillset complements those guys very well. I bring a winning pedigree. I’ve been to places where we won some games and have done some things. Obviously, it’s not at the highest level that we want to, but I’m continuing to build on my winning habits. Meanwhile, they have laid down a great foundation with what they’ve accomplished. So it’s about mixing the two to hopefully get us to the top. For them, I will allow them to do what they do best. It will open up the floor for them to attack and do their thing. I’m looking forward to it.”

You’ve been a proven 3-point shooter, and that’s one of the Magic’s biggest needs. When you look at your career, what’s been the key to being both an effective and consistent 3-point shooter?

Bane: “The work. That’s all that really determines your success at the end of the day. How much time do you put in? One of my college coaches used to tell me that the only difference between me and Steph Curry, me and Klay Thompson, me and Buddy Hield – all of these guys I was looking up to at the time – is that they have more hours in the gym. Once he said that, I said, ‘Well there is only one way to catch up to them.’”

With that work, what are the drills, points of emphasis, and routine that you think have been important to remain a strong outside shooter?

Bane: “You can’t just shoot just to shoot. Everything has to be intentional. So your shots have to matter. You have to try to replicate that as much as possible. If we’re doing movement, we’re doing ‘three in a row’ or ‘three out of four.’ If we’re doing spots, we’re doing different type of games with ‘can’t miss two in a row’ or ‘plus one, minus three.’ Whatever the case may be, we play a lot of different shooting games just keep the muscle memory. It also puts a little pressure on the shots.”

What have those games looked like?

Bane: “They’re all different. Some of them are on the move. Some of them, you have live bodies coming to contest. Some of them, my trainer will put me in a spot where I can’t see the defense. So I have to read and react. It depends on the day. But everything has a challenge to it. It’s hard, but it makes it easier for me to progress. I continue to get better. You got to have all of those things to try to improve as much as possible.”

You talked about connecting with the guys. But how about with Jamahl – what have the messages you both have given each other?

Bane: “Mosley is trying to win. He’s made that apparent. One, he’s trying to win. Two, he’s trying to bring the team together. Today, we just had a little team-bonding experience that was super cool. There are all types of things that ‘Mose’ does to empower the group that explain why he is who he is and why most of the players feel the way they feel about him.”

Shortly after the trade, you sounded bullish on the roster and said that “we can stack up with anybody.” What do you see from yourself and this group that gives you the confidence that you all will be a contender out of the East?

Bane: “Versatility. I think we can play so many different lineups. We have so many different handlers. We have so many different screeners. We have guys that can get baskets one-on-one when the game slows down and you get into crunchtime. So we really have a lot of tools on this roster. It’s always easy to talk this highly at this time of the year. But once you get into December, some guys are playing well, some guys aren’t, some guys are in the rotation, some guys aren’t. That’s when teams really have a choice to come together or split. So we have a long way to go. It’s a long journey. But we got good people in the building and people that work hard and care. So I think that gives us a chance. That’s all you can ask for.”

I get the impression that you worry more about yourself and your own team. But considering Boston and Indiana have notable injuries, to what extent does that also crystalize that the field is wide open?

Bane: “I think you have to look at it the same way every time. Regardless of whether teams are healthy or not, you have to think that you can get to the Finals. Indiana went to the Eastern Conference Finals the year before and had started out slow last year, but were able to pick it up and play really good basketball onwards. So as long as you have that belief and willingness to work, be coachable and continue to grow, anything is possible.”

You Desmond Bane to Orlando Magic shared in another interview about recently having car trouble in Orlando, and that fans recognized you and gave you a warm welcome. How did you process that moment with both dealing with the stress regarding your car and feeling all the community support?

Bane: “It wasn’t until after that I got a chance to really understand what was going on. I was more worried about where the tow truck was and how quickly I was going to be able to get to practice.”

Understood. Beyond that, how else has it been for you and your family to enjoy the community so far?

Bane: “My family have been doing a whole lot of stuff. During a lot of days that I’m at work, they’ve been to Gatorland and they’ve been to Disney [World]. We’ve been to Epcot Park. I’ve been to the Millenia Mall. So we’ve been around a little bit. We’ve hit some of the hot spots in town. I went over to Winter Garden to grab some food. We’re trying to immerse ourselves into the community and settle in. I think we’ve been doing a pretty job of it so far.”

Knowing what Memphis meant to you and vice versa, what do you think it will be like when you match up against each other?

Bane: “I’m rooting for Memphis 80 games out of the year. I hope they do well. I got a lot of guys out of there that are up for contracts and things like that. So I want it to work out for them and that they get everything that they deserve. So I’m looking forward toward seeing how they do, and hoping for the best of them. There’s no bad blood at all.”

How about in the two games, though, when you go head-to-head?

Bane: “It’s going to be cool. We’re going to be out in Germany (Berlin on Jan. 15, 2026) and out in London (Jan. 18, 2026). We’re going to be locked in, for sure.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.