Goga Bitadze is coming back to Orlando.
The Magic on Monday agreed to a 3-year, $25 million contract with the 6-11 center who started 33 times this season.
Bitadze, who was an unrestricted free agent, averaged 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.16 blocks during 15.4 minutes in 62 games throughout his first full season with the Magic.
The fifth-year pro from the Republic of Georgia originally signed with Orlando in February 2023 after he was waived by the Pacers, the organization that drafted him No. 18 overall less than four years earlier.
Last summer, the Magic picked up his team option for the 2023-24 season and Bitadze continued to show his value off the bench when he filled in for Wendell Carter Jr. (who suffered a left hand injury) as a starter for a portion of the year.
Recording 5 double-doubles, Bitadze led or tied the Magic in rebounding 16 times and scored in double figures 13 times.
His new multi-year contract to remain in Orlando, which was first reported by ESPN, follows the franchise’s reported agreement with two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on Sunday when free agency opened.
Neither deal can be officially announced by the Magic until Saturday at 12:01 p.m. ET when teams can begin signing free agents to contracts.
Just because Bitadze landed back with Orlando doesn’t mean Moe Wagner will leave in free agency. After the Magic declined Wagner’s club option for the 2024-25 season, the Sentinel reported there was interest in both sides in discussions about striking a new deal in free agency.
That mutual interest between the Magic and Wagner to keep the reserve center in Orlando remains the same, a league source told the Sentinel on Monday.
Bitadze’s three-year deal is roughly worth the entire room mid-level exception, which starts at $8 million. If Orlando uses that to sign him, the franchise still has a projected $30 million in cap space with three standard roster spots remaining. If Bitadze’s deal is used in the available cap room, the Magic would be left with $22 million in cap space and the mid-level exception.
Regardless, the third-string center, who served as a spot center for the Magic when they dealt with injuries, is returning to Orlando.
It’s something he welcomed as a possibility during the team’s exit interviews in early May.
“I got waived and these guys picked me up off waivers,” Bitadze said recently. “I didn’t even know if I was going to stay in the league. I was already thinking about going back to Europe and these guys just took me in with open arms.
“This is the home I want to be in,” he added. “If it comes down to that and I’m still here, I would be really happy.”
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
