The Los Angeles Lakers are in need of a backup center, and the team is reportedly testing the trade market to see which players could be available to fill that roster hole.
While names like Moussa Cisse, Jericho Sims, and Jalen Smith have all been mentioned as potential Lakers trade targets, another player in particular might be the perfect fit for what Los Angeles needs.
However, it comes with a huge risk, as though Goga Bitadze could be the ideal new backup center for the Lakers, his previous history with franchise star Luka Doncic could get in the way of a trade.
Lakers Trade Idea For Goga Bitadze As New Backup Center
Writing for FadeawayWorld.com, Siddhant Gupta offered a new Lakers trade proposal that would see the team add Bitadze from the Orlando Magic.
Here’s the simple trade idea that sees a new backup center arrive in Los Angeles:
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Goga Bitadze
Orlando Magic receive: Jaden Hardy
Hardy is already sitting outside the Lakers’ rotation, and it’s clear the team needs someone else to play when Walker Kessler is on the bench.
“Goga Bitadze has been linked with the Purple and Gold in the past, though there have been some obstacles preventing this trade from happening. Now, with the Magic facing roster issues of their own, the path to making this deal may be clearer than ever before,” Gupta wrote.
“For Los Angeles, acquiring Goga Bitadze’s $7.6 million contract (this season) isn’t challenging. Given that the team is already $8.1 million below the first apron, the Purple and Gold could even absorb his salary without moving any assets. However, given the need to maintain flexibility to make additions later in the campaign, the Lakers would benefit from moving Jaden Hardy‘s $6.0 million expiring contract.”
If the Magic were on board, in terms of the on-court fit, this would be a perfect trade for the Lakers. However, with the dark history between Doncic and Bitadze, getting a deal like this done could be impossible.
LA’s Backup Center Target Has Major Beef With Luka Doncic
Flashback to March 21, 2026, when, during a previous Lakers-Magic game, Doncic and Bitadze got into a heated argument.
The two ended up getting technical fouls, both of which were later rescinded, but in the time after the incident, Doncic made a strong claim about what Bitadze said to him.
“He said at the free-throw (line) he would (expletive) my whole family and at some point, I just can’t stand it and I’ve got to stand up for myself,” Doncic recalled. “I know my teammates have my back. I let them down today, but hopefully it’ll get rescinded.”
It was a key moment during the Lakers’ season, and marked yet another moment in which the Slovenian star got into a beef with an opponent.
“I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done. And I really respect everybody’s family,” Bitadze said of the situation. “Where I come from, it’s really sacred and we really respect each other’s families and I would never directly say that.”
“He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language, which, I played in Serbia. I understand, I don’t know if he knew | understood what he said. So I just said it back. And it was nothing towards his family or anybody. His family, I really, truly respect them and that’s pretty much it,” he added.
Still, it appears the beef has not yet been cleared, and as it relates to a trade, the previous altercation between the two could be a holdup in the Lakers making a trade for Bitadze, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.
“As far as Goga goes, I think he and Luka would have some air to clear first. If he were available, he could make some sense (as a trade target),” Woike wrote in a recent Reddit AMA when asked about the Magic big man as a potential player the Lakers could go after.
Regardless of how the strong fit might look with Bitadze as the Lakers’ backup center, his beef with Doncic could be a major issue in a deal going through. Still, if the Magic were interested in taking back Hardy, Rob Pelinka and the front office might have to make that trade, as the upside for Los Angeles could be huge.
Lakers Trade Proposal Adds $25M Center With Major Luka Doncic Beef