Getty Goga Bitadze handling the ball during a January 15 game against the New York Knicks.
Between Isaiah Hartenstein‘s free agency and Mitchell Robinson trade rumors, the New York Knicks‘ center position is an unknown quantity going into the 2024-2025 season.
SNY’s Ian Begley reports that amid the uncertainty, Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze “is on New York’s radar.”
“Magic big man Goga Bitadze is among the centers that’s been on New York’s radar if it needs to pivot,” Begley wrote on June 23. “There are probably many other centers under consideration for this scenario.”
Bitadze is coming off of his fifth season, and his second with the Magic. He averaged 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game as backup to Wendell Carter Jr.
The 24-year-old is an unrestricted free agent.
Mitchell Robinson’s NY Future is Uncertain
The futures of Robinson and the Knicks may not be intertwining.
His 50-game absence with a left ankle injury pushed him out of the starting lineup this season. Hartenstein proved a better two-way threat and overall fit for New York’s offense.
Robinson averaged 5.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.
And under contract for the next two years at an average of $13.6 million, he’s overpaid for a backup. So if Hartenstein resigns with the Knicks in free agency, Robinson immediately becomes a trade candidate.
Begley wrote in the same report for SNY that New York has had trade talks with the Washington Wizards centered around the big man.
“The Wizards are among the teams whose talks with the Knicks have included dialogue on Robinson,” Begley reported. “I’m sure several other teams have talked to New York about Robinson, their 26-year-old starting center.”
And furthermore, Begley stressed an optimism that Hartenstein will re-sign.
“One note on Hartenstein: I would still guess that Hartenstein returns to New York if he’s deciding between a Knicks offer and an offer that’s a bit higher,” Begley continued.
Robinson is the longest tenured player on the Knicks. But the red flags around his availability and ultimately his paycheck could open the door for him to a future elsewhere.
3 Teams ‘Monitoring’ Center Market
In a previous report for SNY, Begley mentioned three specific teams that are looking at swinging deals for centers.
“The Lakers, Grizzlies, and Pelicans are among the teams closely monitoring the center position this offseason,” Begley wrote on June 21.
Whether or not New York has had conversations with those teams is unreported. But the New Orleans Pelicans represent an interesting option, as Robinson played high school basketball in Louisiana.
If you have to trade your longest-tenured player, sending him home isn’t the worst move from a PR perspective. But then there’s the questions of what the Pelicans could have to offer.
The Los Angeles Lakers are retooling for another run in the Western Conference playoffs, with or without LeBron James.
His free agency will dictate a lot of their moves, but it’s equally like they could swing trades as a measure of persuading the NBA’s all-time scorer in staying.
Then there’s the Memphis Grizzlies, who have two players within Robinson’s pay range.
Luke Kennard is a longtime sharpshooter entering the last year of a four-year, $56 million deal he signed with the LA Clippers in 2021.
Or there’s Brandon Clarke, former first-round pick, who’s coming off of an Achilles tear suffered in March of 2023.
Additionally, the Grizzlies are armed with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft as a potential asset. New York has multiple first-round picks (24th, 25th overall) they could offer in a trade-up scenario.