Southeast Notes: Bane, Davis, Gardner, Heat, Giannis

It continues to be an up-and-down season for the magicwho maintain a 30-26 file and the No. 7 spot within the Eastern Conference standings. However, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required) writes, they’ve gotten all they may’ve hoped for out of veteran wing Desmond Bane after surrendering a package deal that included 4 first-round picks to amass him final summer time.

Bane is one in every of simply two Magic gamers to seem in all 56 video games up to now. And after scoring 34 and 36 factors within the workforce’s back-to-back set in Phoenix and LA over the weekend, their scoring common is as much as 20.1 factors per sport on .483/.388/.913 capturing. The 27-year-old can also be chipping in 4.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per night time.

“He reminds me of a lot of older guys in this league,” teammate Wendell Carter Jr. stated of Bane, per Beede. “Guys who’ve established themselves and have a mindset of, he will play his sport it doesn’t matter what. His course of goes to stay the identical.

“Early on (in the season), he was struggling a little bit but one thing about it, he stuck to what he knows he’s good at. And now we’re seeing the benefits of what trading for a guy like that does. His continued elevation just shows he’s one of the best in this league in terms of his position, shooting the 3-ball, getting downhill, facilitating, play-making… He’s exactly what we need.”

The Magic have Bane underneath workforce management by the 2028/29 season. He’s owed $126.5MM on the ultimate three years of his contract.

Here’s extra from across the Southeast:

• Wizards large man Anthony Davis has but to debut for his new workforce as he recovers from a hand harm, however he expressed pleasure about his match on the roster in a dialog with Wes Hall of Monumental Sports Network (YouTube link). Davis stated he believes he and Trae Young is usually a “dynamic duo” on offense and that he is trying ahead to teaming up with former No. 2 total decide Alex Sarr on the opposite aspect of the ball. “On the defensive end, it’s going to be insane,” Davis stated, lauding the younger Frenchman for his versatility and talent to guard the rim.
• Less than per week after signing his first commonplace NBA contract, warmth swingman Myron Gardner was pressured to surrender a bit of his wage, having been fined $35K by the league for his function in an altercation with Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. Ace Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Gardner insists he did not imply to bump Pippen from behind, whereas head coach Erik Spoelstra stated he thinks the NBA is “making a point” with the tremendous, because the altercation spilled into the gang. “We disagree with (Gardner’s fine),” Spoelstra stated. “Pippen is the one that pushed it into the stands, and Myron didn’t really retaliate. Once he was on the ground, he was laughing. So if it was someone else, I don’t think it would have been (a) $35,000 fine. But we’ll move on.”
• With the warmth set to go to Milwaukee on Tuesday, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald checks in on the place issues stand with Miami’s pursuit of bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpowhich was placed on maintain after the commerce deadline handed with no deal. The Heat will be capable of provide as much as 4 first-round picks for Antetokounmpo this summer time, Jackson notes, although it stays to be seen whether or not or not they’re going to get the chance to noticeably reengage the Bucks in commerce talks, since Giannis might resolve to remain in Milwaukee or the Bucks might get one other provide they like extra.