2024 NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division
The 2024-25 NBA season is, remarkably, right around the corner. As such, Newsweek Sports is taking stock of each of the league's six divisions heading into the year in a continuing series.
When it comes to the Southeast Division, two clubs in Florida are angling for the second round and beyond this season, while the rest of the division has undergone some major alterations.
Orlando Magic
Last year, the Magic returned to the playoffs for the first time since they wisely traded All-Star center Nikola Vucevic to the Chicago Bulls for two future lottery picks at the 2021 trade deadline. Led by a pair of ascendant young frontcourt players, All-Star power forward Paolo Banchero and probable future All-Star small forward Franz Wagner, Orlando went 47-35 and pushed the veteran-laden Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in a first-round matchup.
The Magic were younger, bigger, and longer than the Cavaliers, but were incredibly raw on offense. That ultimately sealed their playoff fate.
Orlando made just 11.0 attempts from 3-point range a game last season, tied for the worst-such tally in the league with the lowly Detroit Pistons. So this summer, looking to take the next step, the Magic signed veteran free agent 3-and-D shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a two-time championship starter with the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.
Read more: Magic Set To Sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope To Lucrative Contract
Thanks to their youth movement, the Magic should win more games than any other squad in the division, but for now the team still lacks an above-average starting point guard. That playmaking absence could still cost Orlando in the postseason. Or the team could just make a trade.
Miami Heat
Following a surprise 2023 Finals appearance as a No. 8 seed, the Heat were no doubt hoping to improve their 2023-24 regular season record to avoid being a perennial playoff series underdog this past spring.
Instead, Miami was beset by injury problems and finished with a mediocre 46-36 record. Thanks to a play-in loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami was once again was stuck with the No. 8 seed.
The Heat's playoff run was stopped in a five-game first-round series against the Boston Celtics. With both All-NBA small forward Jimmy Butler and starting point guard Terry Rozier out for the entire series with injuries, Miami never really had a chance of knocking out the eventual league champs.
This summer, the capped-out Heat did little to improve their roster beyond bringing in sharpshooting veteran wing Alec Burks on a veteran's minimum deal. Instead, Miami is hoping on improved health for Butler, Rozier, and Kevin Love, growth for All-Star center Bam Adebayo following an impressive showing at the 2024 Paris Olympics , and for younger players like Jaime Jaquez and Tyler Herro to take next steps.
Miami's biggest new addition was probably rookie center Kel'el Ware out of Indiana, whom the Heat may count on to spell Adebayo right away.
Atlanta Hawks
After posting a miserable 36-46 record and finishing as the 10th seed in the East (they lost their first play-in tournament game), the Hawks seemed to signal an awareness that change was needed when they shipped out one-time All-Star starting combo guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans this summer.
Atlanta received guard Dyson Daniels, veteran forward Larry Nance Jr., and a pair of future first round picks from New Orleans.
In addition to those assets, probably the biggest player the team added in the offseason from a fan-excitement perspective is forward Zaccharie Risacher, selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets, believe it or not, are hoping to rebound in a big way from a miserable 21-61 season.
Charlotte drafted former Cholet Basket small forward Tidjan Salaün with the sixth pick in this summer's draft. The club is no doubt hoping Salaün can join a developing young core that includes All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball — who's missed most of the last two seasons — troubled All-Rookie First Team forward Brandon Miller, and troubled forward Miles Bridges.
This year, assuming Ball, Miller and Bridges are healthy (and Miller and Bridges avoid further legal issues), Charlotte could be a frisky contender — for a play-in tournament seed, anyway.
Washington Wizards
Washington went a brutal 15-27 last season. The club at least appreciates that it is now in full-blown tank mode, and as such made a trade to ditch 23-year-old starting small forward Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the expiring $22.5 million contract of Malcolm Brogdon (who still might have trade value to contending teams), two first round draft picks and two second round picks. One of those picks was used the No. 14 selection in this year's draft, former Pittsburgh combo guard Bub Carrington.
The Wizards also curiously opted to draft French big man Alex Sarr with their No. 2 pick in the draft, Sarr looks to be extremely raw. In his four Summer League games, he averaged just 5.5 points on .191/.118/.500 shooting splits, 7.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 0.8 steals a night.
This team will continue to be bad, but at least in the form of Carrington and Sarr — plus second-year forward Bilal Coulibaly — Washington will boast some intriguing young pieces for fans to track. Washington is clearly hoping for a shot at expected No. 1 2025 pick Cooper Flagg, a Duke freshman.
