The New Orleans Pelicans finished the campaign with just 26 victories, highlighting the pressing need to strengthen a roster that lacked a true interior anchor. One of the most immediate ways to address the void at center is a trade for Goga Bitadze, the 27-year-old Georgian currently under contract with the Orlando Magic. Bitadze’s size and experience could provide the Pelicans with the post presence they have been missing.
Orlando sits deep in the luxury-tax zone and is above the first apron, a situation that makes shedding salary a priority. The Magic have already added veteran-minimum signing Nikola Vucevic, and moving Bitadze’s $7.6 million salary for next season would help alleviate their tax burden. The combination of Vucevic and the existing Wendell Carter Jr. rotation leaves Bitadze expendable from the Magic’s perspective.
For New Orleans, Bitadze’s contract is attractive because the Pelicans can absorb it without surrendering any players or triggering additional luxury-tax penalties. He would fill the final open roster spot and could step in as the starting center immediately, delivering the size-first interior presence the team has lacked. This approach would allow the Pelicans to preserve their existing rotation while adding a low-cost big man.
The price the Pelicans would likely need to pay is draft capital. New Orleans possesses six tradable second-round picks, giving them flexibility to bundle a few of those selections into a package that satisfies Orlando’s appetite for future assets. Leveraging draft pieces rather than pursuing high-priced free agents aligns with the Pelicans’ recent pattern of asset management.
Adding Bitadze would give New Orleans a defensive anchor in the paint, freeing floor space for Zion Williamson’s drives and providing a reliable post option when the team chooses to slow the tempo. The interior upgrade could be the difference between a rebuilding campaign and a genuine push for playoff contention, especially in a league that still values dominant big-men.
If the trade materializes before the trade deadline, the Pelicans will have the chance to integrate Bitadze during training camp and solidify their front-court strategy. Should negotiations stall, New Orleans will need to explore alternative avenues, but Bitadze remains the most straightforward path to a meaningful roster upgrade.
