Average 5 points per game, shooting percentage 26.7%! The champion scorer is like this, and the Lakers were criticized for giving up on him

According to the revelations of famous reporters, the Magic and the Grizzlies reached a deal, and the Grizzlies traded Bain to the Magic, in exchange for Pope + Cole Anthony + four unprotected first-round picks + one first-round pick swap right. The Magic got Bain, a powerful player who proved myself in the playoffs. The Magic also fought hard to get Bain. The Magic Management predicted that a huge change is likely to occur in the Eastern Conference next season. It is difficult for the Celtics to maintain their original strength, and the Bucks are likely to become moderate, which makes the Magic Management willing to take risks and gamble next season!

The Grizzlies have obtained Pope and Cole Anthony, as well as future draft assets, which makes it generally believed that the Grizzlies have entered a reconstruction mode, and the team is likely to further deal with the high-quality assets in the team!

In this deal, Pope became one of the focus! The player chose to join the Magic in the summer of 2024 and received a three-year contract worth $66 million! In just one season, the Magic traded Pope away. There is no doubt that the Magic are not very satisfied with Pope's performance in the team, nor are they satisfied with his role in the team.

This season, Pope played 77 regular season games for the Magic, averaging 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, shooting percentage of 43.9% and three-point shooting percentage of 34.2%; such performance can be said to be very unsatisfactory and did not meet the team's expectations!

However, Pope's performance in the playoffs was even more disastrous. In the playoffs, Pope averaged only 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 26.7% from the field and 26.1% from three-pointers. His performance further declined, which disappointed the team. Due to his poor performance, he also turned his contract into a negative asset, and needed to match rookie assets to be traded out.

The former champion scorer player became like this on the Magic, which is really unimaginable. Pope's decline is cliff-like, which is surprising! There are his personal reasons in this regard and team reasons! The Magic's system is not suitable for Pope, and he has fewer open opportunities in the Magic! Now that Pope is going to the Grizzlies, it may be a good thing for him. Morant has a strong ability to open up space and the ball is very good, which can give Pope a good space to play.

Can Pope win the second spring of his career with the Grizzlies? Please wait and see! This former Lakers player and the Nuggets player were also criticized for giving up Pope at the time because Pope was indeed a high-quality 3D player in the league at that time, and it was extremely cost-effective! And he is one of the main role players of these two teams to win the championship and plays an important role. Of course it is irrational to give up on him! But time has changed, and Pope is no longer the same now. Can he still regain his previous glory with the Grizzlies? Please wait and see!