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The Orlando Magic emerged as a competitive team by going 47-35 last season, finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference and taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to a seventh game in the first round of the playoffs this past season.
They made a significant move as free agency started by getting sharpshooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to agree to a deal with them, and while it won’t make them championship contenders, it’s a sign they’re indeed on the rise.
On Monday, Orlando made a move to maintain their frontcourt depth when it got Goga Bitadze, a backup center, to agree to a three-year deal to remain with them, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
Free agent center Goga Bitadze is returning to the Orlando Magic on a three-year, $25 million contract, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/hUaR5HC17g
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2024
Bitadze isn’t a big difference-maker, but he did average 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots in 15.4 minutes a game this past season.
The Magic are a team that is largely built around their frontcourt, as Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, became an All-Star for the first time this past season, and 6-foot-10 forward Franz Wagner averaged 19.7 points a game.
They aren’t ready to compete with the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks or Philadelphia 76ers for Eastern Conference supremacy, but another playoff appearance during the 2024-25 season shouldn’t be out of the question.
Orlando could use a difference-making point guard who can both score and facilitate, and it is unknown how they would get their hands on such a player.
They haven’t won a single playoff series since 2010, when they went to the Eastern Conference Finals a year after reaching the NBA Finals.
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