The trade deadline is a long way away. February seems like an eternity from now.
Yet, it is still looming on the horizon. It remains a significant milestone and event in the Orlando Magic's journey through the season.
It is a critical date on the calendar, not only a last chance for a team to add that missing piece to their championship run, but their last chance to get under the tax line or otherwise trim their tax bill.
The Magic will be considering both as they approach February's trade deadline. They will likely be in a position to add to their roster through the trade deadline to gear up for a playoff push. But they also have to have at least one eye on their future finances.
Orlando is likely to be a second-apron team in the 2027 season. The team will need to make some serious decisions on several key players, even if the Magic are willing to pay and endure the penalties that come with it.
The battle lines of those decisions are already pretty clear. It is easy to train that camera and that focus on the choices the Magic have to make this February, even if what the Magic will pursue and what their trade deadline goals should be are not -- and cannot be -- clear at this early stage.
This year's trade deadline is going to be all about Goga Bitadze.
"I would be shocked if we get through another deadline, unless teams just stay extremely healthy, I guess," Bryce Simon said on the Game Theory podcast. "I would be shocked. I'm sure teams are calling. I think eventually a team is going to have to make an offer that Orlando is going to take. I think he's one of the better backup bigs in this league, I feel like. That immediately puts him in the conversation to be a starting big."
Bitadze is a perfect trade deadline candidate for that reason. He has proven himself extremely productive when given consistent starting minutes and he is not starting for the Magic, at least not right now.
On top of that, the Magic's financial limitations make him a luxury. He will be in the crosshairs throughout the season.
But February remains a long way away.
Goga Bitadze is a necessity at first
Goga Bitadze is a necessity for the Magic to start the year, at least.
Moe Wagner is likely out until mid-December as he recovers from a torn ACL. Goga Bitadze becomes essential to fill the team's backup center role -- just as two-way center Orlando Robinson will be critical, considering Wendell Carter's injury history.
There should be zero entertaining of trading Bitadze at this point.
Bitadze has proven himself to be a solid contributor who can rack up stats, gobble up rebounds and clean up the offensive glass. He is continuing to expand his offensive game, hinting at some 3-point and shooting development as he prepares for Eurobasket this summer.
Last year, Bitadze averaged a career-high 7.2 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. He added 1.4 blocks per game. It was a breakout season that made it clear Bitadze should be in a rotation.
With all the injuries hitting the Magic, particularly the Carter knee injury early in the season, Bitadze averaged 9.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in 42 starts last year.
On top of this, the Magic had a 107.4 defensive rating with Bitadze on the floor. That was nearly two points per 100 possessions better than the team's overall average.
Orlando has a lot of trust in Bitadze. But at the same time, the team easily back on the shelf when others push him out of the rotation.
Bitadze's playing time decreased as the season progressed. After a January concussion, he averaged only 4.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 16.1 minutes per game. He appeared in only 11 total minutes during the team's playoff series.
Bitadze's per 36 minute numbers went from 14.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per 36 minutes before that injury to 10.4 and 11.1 rebounds per 36 minutes, hardly a dramatic drop off. The Magic just went in a different direction.
It proves that, for as good as Bitadze can be, the Magic do not have complete trust in him. That is what makes him a ripe candidate for the trade deadline.
Bitadze will become a luxury
The Orlando Magic have plenty of other considerations too.
With the team now over the tax and staring life in the second apron, Goga Bitadze has become a luxury.
His contract is favorable for sure -- he is owed $8.3 million in 2026 and $7.6 million in 2027. That is a bargain for a quality backup center. But the Magic use him more as a third center. And that makes him a bit of a luxury.
If the Magic want to dip under the tax or trim their tax bill, trading Bitadze and settling in for a minimum center to fill that role. It is a case where the Magic could find a more effective way to use that $8 million rather than have it sit on the bench in case of emergency.
Bitadze is important to start the season because that emergency exists. Moe Wagner will be out until December, in all likelihood. Bitadze is essential for the team and its success.
But Wagner will be back by the time February comes along. Bitadze will then feel like a luxury, burning a hole in their pocket. If the Magic have some drastic need to their rotation to help them advance further in the playoffs, Bitadze is the chief trade chip the Magic will offer.
There certainly should be plenty of teams that would be interested -- the center-hungry Los Angeles Lakers have long been a favored target.
Orlando will have decisions to make when the trade deadline comes around. It is still too early to predict what kind of decisions those will be and how aggressive the Magic want to be. Orlando right now seems willing to pay the second apron.
But Bitadze and his trade status will be in the background all season. The conditions are there for him to be a big trade chip to play if the Magic need it this February.