The Indiana Pacers have made plenty of notable roster moves over the last few seasons, and a lot of them have worked out. Within the last handful of years, the Pacers acquired Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Aaron Nesmith in trades. Additionally, they drafted Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, and Ben Sheppard, who have all played well during their Pacers careers.
There were some other moves that did not fully pan out for the Pacers in that time, however, even if it was likely the right move at the moment. This became clear recently as one of their former players is in the midst of a career year. Furthermore, while moving on from him at the time made sense, the Pacers certainly wish they could have a do-over nearly two years later.
Waiving Goga Bitadze is beginning to look like a mistake 2 years later
From 2019 to 2023, Goga Bitadze appeared in 170 games for the Pacers, including 21 starts. In those games, he averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 48% from the field. While with the Pacers, he showed little promise and was a role player at best despite being a first-round pick. This ultimately led to the team waiving him in February 2023.
Fast forward to the present day, and Bitadze is having a career year with the Orlando Magic. On the year, the 25-year-old is averaging 8.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 blocks through 21 games. He is also shooting 65.5% from the field. All of these numbers are career highs for Bitadze.
Hypothetically, if the Pacers still had Bitadze on the roster, he would not start over Myles Turner. However, there is also no doubt that Indiana would benefit from having a guy like him on the team.
The Pacers are averaging 39.7 rebounds per game. This is the second-worst mark in the NBA, only behind the Brooklyn Nets. Bitadze, meanwhile, already has seven games with 11 or more rebounds this season. This includes his most recent performance against the Phoenix Suns, where he grabbed 16 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass.
In addition to the Pacers being one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA, they also have no backup big men. James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson each suffered season-ending Achilles injuries early in the season. Additionally, Moses Brown, who the team signed in November, was waived by the Pacers on Monday.
Waiving Bitadze is far from the Pacers' biggest mistake in franchise history. However, nearly two years later, it is fair to say one side benefitted far more than the other, and it was not the Pacers.