The starting gun has been shot and trade season has officially arrived in the NBA.
December 15 is the unofficial start of trade season in the league as the date that most players who signed contracts in the offseason become eligible to be traded—there are a few others that have to wait until January for various reasons.
This is to say, not every player is eligible. But most will be eligible to be dealt by the time the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches.
It is usually a safe assumption that every player will be available for trades when the trade deadline approaches. And so for the Internet tinkerers and general managers trying to make that big blockbuster deal, the whole roster is usually available.
That is not the case for the Orlando Magic. As everyone tries to project and construct trades or list what the Magic have to offer one player who could be available is not trade-eligible until after the season ends.
The Magic have some gluts they will have to figure out. For now, the team is getting by and needs the depth with the injuries to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. But the team will be sitting at least one player who should be starting and will have a major decision to make about their rotation.
Goga Bitadze is trade eligible on Jan. 15 after signing a three-year deal this offseason. Wendell Carter, though, is not after he signed a three-year, $54-million extension in October that will keep him under contract through the 2029 season (he has a team option for that final year).
Carter cannot be traded until after the trade deadline because of the timing of his new contract. It leaves the Magic without access to one of their biggest trade chips.
Suddenly the center position looks full as the Magic cannot play all three, including reserve big Moe Wagner who has a decent case to be in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation.
As the Magic try to construct or consider trades, they could include Bitadze but Carter is not trade-eligible until the offseason. That could make it difficult for Orlando to find a deal at the trade deadline—with virtually only Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, and their two first-round picks available to make a major rotation-shaking move.
Why isn't Carter trade eligible?
Wendell Carter would normally be a prime trade target. He is a promising player on a fairly affordable deal—he makes roughly $12 million this year and only tops out at $21 million in the final year of his deal, a good value for a starter with how much the cap is expected to increase.
But Carter has not had the year he imagined. A knee injury and then plantar fasciitis slowed him down this year and in his stead, Goga Bitadze stepped up and filled in admirably at center. More than admirably, Bitadze looks like a more dynamic starter at center with his ability to block shots.
Orlando has delayed a decision on who to start at center—and the Magic have gone by committee at the end of the game based on feel and who is playing better—starting the two bigs together since Carter's return.
Carter said it has been a bit of an adjustment to learn to play power forward again and find his fit with a more paint-bound center in Bitadze. His counting stats have not caught up to this defensive versatility which cannot be counted using stats.
Still, Carter has struggled statistically. He is averaging a career-low 7.2 points per game to go with 7.6 rebounds per game. He is shooting only 48.7 percent from the floor and an icy 16.1 percent from three. Without the threat of his shooting, Carter's value seems to decrease dramatically—even if his defensive statistics look similar to Bitadze.
In any case, the fact Bitadze is cheaper and a more dynamic player around the basket—8.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game with 1.6 blocks per game for good measure.
There is a logjam at the position. That would typically increase speculation of a team making a move to fill a need elsewhere or clear that logjam up.
But Carter signed his new contract extension in early October, making him ineligible to be traded before the deadline.
Carter's new deal seemed like a good one at the time as everyone expected Carter to bounce back from an injury-filled 2024 season. He was hoping to be fully healthy for the season. That has not happened and that would normally open the door for a trade.
But the collective bargaining agreement prohibits the Magic from making Carter available in trades before the deadline.
The CBA restricts teams from trading players who signed new contracts at Carter's level from being traded for six months after the contract was signed. That would mean Carter is not eligible to be traded until April, after the trade deadline.
Carter's unavailability for a trade is a matter of timing.
Bitadze falls under a similar rule too. He is not trade-eligible until Jan. 15 because of a different clause in the collective bargaining agreement that further limits trades when players re-sign with their team for more than 120 percent of their previous salary. But he would be available at the trade deadline since he signed in July.
If Orlando was interested in trading Carter, the team has to wait until after the season. That might delay any moves to improve the roster.
It will be interesting to see if the market picks up for Carter because no matter which player you support, it does seem like the center spot for the Magic is ripe for a trade to ease some tension and find a way to improve their offense elsewhere.
It might also be a reason why the Magic ultimately wait to make their deal. They could easily wait for the offseason when they will have two first-round picks in the 2025 Draft to help grease the wheels for a deal, along with malleable contracts from Wendell Carter, Gary Harris and Cole Anthony to try to improve the roster.
Orlando though has a lot to consider. But one of its biggest trade assets is not available as the team prepares for the trade deadline.