Magic Offseason: Center an Underrated Need in Free Agency

With Wendell Carter Jr. struggling to stay healthy and Goga Bitadze set to hit free agency, adding a center could be atop the Orlando Magic's priorities this offseason.

May 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) drives to the basket / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — Coming off the franchise's best season since 2011, there's plenty for the Orlando Magic to be more than optimistic about.

Paolo Banchero cemented himself as a franchise player, while Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner proved themselves as cornerstones to the Magic's success. But even with those building blocks in place, Orlando has needs it has to address if it is going to improve from a playoff team to a contender.

Shooting and scoring are the most glaring needs after the Magic ranked 24th in points per game (110.5), tied for 23rd in 3-point percentage (35.2) and finished dead last in 3-pointers made per game (11). The Magic's offensive struggles were exacerbated in their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, as they were held under 100 points three times before losing in seven games.

Adding offense will grab the headlines for Orlando, but adding a center is a need that's flying under the radar for the ascending franchise.

A fractured hand and knee injury limited Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. to 55 games and he has surpassed 60 games only once in his career, and Orlando was 17-10 in the games he missed this season. His averages of 11 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.6 minutes per game were his worst since the 2020-21 season, though, his 37.4 3-point percentage this season was the best of his career.

Goga Bitadze, who started 33 games for Orlando, averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in the games he started and had five double-doubles. Bitadze will be a free agent when free agency begins on July 1, and whether the Magic would be willing to get into a bidding war if other teams show interest in the Georgian center remains to be seen after he didn't surpass 10 minutes in any of Orlando's final 17 games of the regular season.

If the Magic choose to be aggressive in adding a center in free agency, they'll have multiple options at their disposal both in veteran options and young ascending players who can fit the team's timeline. New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas, 32, is the best of the veteran options, as he averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton and New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein are younger options whose best play may be ahead of them. Claxton nearly averaged a double-double with 11.8 points and 9.9 rebounds and a career-high 2.1 assists per game on a porous Nets team.

After primarily coming off the bench before Mitchell Robinson's ankle injury, Hartenstein has made the most of his opportunity, averaging 8.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 blocks per game in his 49 games as a starter in the regular season. Hartenstein, 26, has carried his success over into the playoffs, as he has averaged 9.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists plus 1.0 block per game.

Hartenstein's play will more than likely draw interest from multiple teams and make him the most expensive of the trio, but if Orlando views him as the potential missing piece in them becoming a top team in the Eastern Conference, it can open up the cap space to sign him. The Magic currently have the fifth-most cap space in the NBA with $25.18 million, according to Spotrac.

Claxton and Valanciunas would likely come cheaper. At 25 years old, Claxton would fit with the Magic's core, while Valanciunas could be another veteran presence with a wealth of postseason experience. Across eight playoff appearances, Valanciunas has averaged 13.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game across 58 games.

Claxton has averaged 10.5 points and 7.13 rebounds per game in his last eight playoff games.

Signing either Claxton, Hartenstein or Valanciunas could improve the center position for Orlando and give it options with Carter Jr. He could strengthen the team's second unit or be used in a trade for a proven guard to pair with Suggs. Carter Jr. is set to make $22.8 million over the next two seasons according to Spotrac, making his contract easy to trade if the Magic want to package him in a potential deal for a player like Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons.

The Magic are on the cusp of becoming a contender for years to come, but choosing to stand pat and relying on players to develop could make them stagnant. Orlando has the cap space and draft picks to make multiple big moves this offseason, and improving the center position and using that to potentially address other needs should be one of the options they consider as it looks to go from a young ascending team to one who can be a force in the Eastern Conference for years to come.

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