The Southeast Division was once again middling last year, with four teams making the postseason, but none of them advancing beyond the first round or winning more than 45 regular season games. However, every team but the Magic overhauled their team either at the 2026 deadline (Wizards) or this past offseason (Heat, Hornets, Hawks), so there are some real expectations from top to bottom in the Southeast for the first time in a long time.
Orlando Magic
Additions: Nikola Vucevic, Izaiyah Nelson (51st pick, 2026 Draft)
Subtractions: Mo Wagner, Jett Howard
Other: Replaced Jamahl Mosely as head coach with Sean Sweeney, Re-signed Jevon Carter
Outlook: The Magic had an extremely quiet offseason in most respects, which is a bit odd considering they were largely disappointing last year. Everyone (including myself) though they’d make a leap after trading for Desmond Bane, and they did not, winning in the mid-40s and losing in the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Instead of overhauling their roster, the Magic instead replaced their coach, firing the defensive-focused Jamahl Mosely and bringing in Spurs’ lead assistant Sean Sweeney, and offense- and development-oriented guru. The Magic made some light roster tweaks around the margins, but this is more or less the same team as last year. I think Sweeney will make a difference, and I also think the Magic will have better health than a season ago, which is why I’m projecting a wins bump despite a better Eastern Conference. Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, and Wendell Carter Jr. is still a pretty good top six, so with decent injury luck I think the Magic will be pretty good.
Prediction: 47-35 (Last year predicted 51-31, actually 45-37)
Miami Heat
Additions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Ryan Conwell (37th pick, 2026 Draft)
Subtractions: Tyler Herro, Norm Powell, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis
Other: Extended Andrew Wiggins for three years, $64M
Outlook: After yet another mediocre season last year, the Heat finally made their long-rumored superstar play by going out and getting Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Bucks. The Heat moved out half of their rotation and their most promising young players in the process, and also had to let Norm Powell walk in free agency, which is why I think their actual regular season win total won’t go up much. However, perhaps more than any other team in the NBA, the Heat’s roster is incomplete, with several open spots for ring-chasing (or simply opportunity-seeking) veterans that could punch up their weaknesses. For now, the Heat’s roster seems very deficient in shooting, perimeter scoring, and guard depth. Giannis is a monster, but he’s an injury-prone one, and if he misses 20-25 games as he has the past few years, the Heat’s offense will be dead on arrival. Now, Giannis’ presence does make the Heat an infinitely more dangerous playoff opponent, especially if they are able to round out their roster a bit. Still, when comparing their team to the Knicks and Sixers, or even the Raptors (post-Kawhi trade), Pacers, and Cavs, the Heat definitely seem ill-balanced and thin. Erik Spoelstra will magic a couple of role players into existence, but right now the Heat seem like a middling playoff team rather than a true contender.
Prediction: 46-36 (Last year predicted 40-42, actually 43-39)
Atlanta Hawks
Additions: Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Kingston Flemings (8th Pick, 2026 Draft), Zuby Eijofor (23rd pick, 2026 Draft), Devin Carter, Henry Veesaar (52nd Pick, 2026 Draft), Ryan Nembhard
Subtractions: Zaccharie Risacher, Jonathan Kuminga (still free agent), Keaton Wallace, Gabe Vincent, Caleb Houstan, Christian Koloko
Other: Re-signed CJ McCollum, Re-signed Jock Landale
Outlook: The Hawks had one of the most up-and-down seasons of any team in the NBA last season – they came in with high expectations, disappointed, traded former franchise star Trae Young for peanuts, and then went on a run after the trade deadline to make the playoffs. Despite the Hawk’s general youth and a pretty strong offseason, I’m a bit skeptical they will take a step forward from last year. Their run to end the season might not have been fool’s gold, but projecting that level of success to a new season is always tricky. In particular, I wonder if Nickeil Alexander-Walker will be able to repeat his fantastic 2026, and if Jalen Johnson will continue to thrive as team’s become familiar with gameplans against him as the number one option. The Hawks should be good – they have a ton of NBA rotation players and a solid coach in Quin Snyder – but they are a team that NBA media overrates almost every year, and I think it’s happening again this offseason. A high-tier play-in team or low-end playoff team sounds right to me.
Prediction: 43-39 (Last year predicted 46-36, actually 46-36)
Charlotte Hornets
Additions: Naz Reid, Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, Hannes Steinbach (14th pick, 2026 Draft), Christian Anderson (18th pick, 2026 Draft)
Subtractions: LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Josh Green, Tre Mann, Xavier Tillman
Other: Re-signed Coby White
Outlook: The Hornets were one of the biggest surprises around the NBA last year, coming out of nowhere in the second half of the season to earn a play-in spot through a high-powered, free-flowing offense built around the shooting of Kon Kneuppel and playmaking of LaMelo Ball. Charlotte, however, clearly did not believe in the sustainability of what they had, as they traded Ball with his boosted trade value for a haul of draft picks as well as Naz Reid. The Hornets do still have a lot of competent NBA players on the roster, but they are relying on Coby White (brought back on a massive deal) as their lead playmaker, and I’ve never really been a White fan as more than a score-first sixth man. Kneuppel is awesome, but I think he’s a year or two away from being the best player on a true postseason team. Thus, even though I actually think the Hornets made smart long-term decisions by selling high on Ball (and Miles Bridges), I believe they will take a step back in the standings this season.
Prediction: 32-50 (Last year predicted 27-55, actually 44-38)
Washington Wizards
Additions: AJ Dybantsa (1st pick in 2026 Draft), Khris Middleton, Deandre Ayton
Subtractions: Marvin Bagley, Jaden Hardy, Anthony Gill, Sharife Cooper
Other:
Outlook: The Wizards are one of the hardest teams in the entire NBA to place, in my opinion. They have been one of the worst teams in the NBA for three years, as they tried time and again to tank their way to a superstar prospect. They may have struck gold this past summer, selecting AJ Dybantsa at number one overall. I would not have taken AJ first, but he’s a tremendous prospect, and adding him to an interesting-enough collection of lesser prospects (Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, and Tre Johnson are all fairly promising) would make the Wizards more fun and competitive. The real confusing part, however, is that the Wizards traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis last season, and kept both players this summer. We barely saw either guy last year (AD not at all for the Wizards), and don’t know how they’ll look on this young, rebuilding Wizards squad. If Trae and AD are healthy and bought in, they should be able to boost the Wizards significantly on offense and defense respectively. The question is whether either of those things are true, as well as whether any of the Wizards’ youngsters are ready to actually win this season. My prediction is no, but the Wizards making it all the way to the upper 30s in wins and the back half of the play-in would not surprise me.
Prediction: 31-51 (Last year predicted 19-63, actually 17-65)