We’ve reached the ultimate article in our series of NBA offseason grades, with a focus on the rapidly improving Southeast Division.
ICYMI, we’ve already examined the Atlantic, Northwest, Central, Pacific and Southwest divisions.
Hooo boy, is this squad deep!
The Hawks retained CJ McCollum and Jock Landale on short-term, tradable deals; they drafted Kingston Flemings as their future floor general, and they exploited other teams’ cap situations by nabbing Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Devin Carter without sacrificing a first-round pick. They even shed their Zaccharie Risacher problem, deciding not to hold onto dead money.
This team is loaded with fearsome defensive potential. If you manage to break free of Dyson Daniels, your reward is a dance with the Dort. Perhaps the only defensive concerns are at the point, with McCollum and Flemings, but the phalanx of wings on board can cover for them.
Atlanta’s ceiling still depends on the progression of Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker repeating last season’s breakout. Even if those two don’t quite hit the heights expected of them, the front office has all sorts of flexibility available in the form of tradable deals, draft picks and cap room.
How many front offices would do what Charlotte did this offseason? Who would be brave enough to take a 40-24 stretch to finish the season, with the best five-man unit in the NBA, and decree it pyrite rather than gold? That’s what Charlotte has done, deciding that its team had a definite ceiling and choosing to sell high on those deemed expendable.
In pure talent terms, moving LaMelo Ball for Naz Reid is a downgrade, but a massive upgrade in professionalism, reliability and defense. Getting an unprotected first for Miles Bridges is the grandest of larcenies.
Charlotte moves forward with a pristine cap sheet, a plethora of future picks and enough younger veteran talent to support its two key building blocks in Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. This is the dictionary definition of taking a step backward to enable a giant leap forward.
Practically any time you can acquire a two-time MVP in his prime, you do it. Keeping your own star in the process is another win. But that’s where the celebrations should stop in South Beach.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo will form the best interior combination — and arguably the best due outright — in the league, there is precious little left to support them.
Neither is a consistent outside shooter, so surrounding them with snipers is a must. The Heat lost a few in the Giannis trade, while being forced to take on Bobby Portis’ contract in said trade cost them the room to re-sign Norman Powell. Tim Hardaway Jr. is a nice pickup but is hardly the answer all by himself.
Another concern? Giannis’ health. The 31-year-old hasn’t completed a full season and postseason since winning the championship in 2021. His raw physicality — his calling card — can only be expected to decline. The Heat have once again gone star hunting but significantly reduced their contention window in the process.
Other than dipping into the nostalgia pool to sign their former star Nikola Vucevic on a minimum deal, the Magic have, thanks to last season’s all-in moves, largely sat out the offseason.
They did make a bench change, parting ways with Jamahl Mosley and hiring Sean Sweeney. He’s a creative hoops mind, but Sweeney certainly has his work cut out for him in Orlando.
The overlap between star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner is a concern; two of their three primary backcourt players in Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black are hardly snipers, and their center rotation is serviceable at best, pedestrian at worst.
The Magic made their roster moves last season. If Sweeney can’t sort out this disparate maelstrom, then expect this team to look very different in 12 months.
Don’t look now, but the Wizards might be sneaky good.
They’re loaded with young talent — a result of years of ineptitude, but still — as well as a pair of star veterans in Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Still, doesn’t it feel like Washington is straddling the fence here?
Led by AJ Dybantsa, the youth here is abundant. With Kyshawn George, Alexandre Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Will Riley and Tre Johnson, it has the core of the next good Wizards team.
Yet, re-signing Young to a four-year, $212 million contract does nothing other than take touches away from said young core. The offseason acquisition of Deandre Ayton is redundant on a team trying to develop Sarr and Tristan Vukcevic and employing a legitimate star in Davis.
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