NBA Offseason Preview: Southeast Division

This is the first in our series of offseason preview articles. Over the next several days, we'll take a division-by-division look at the roster decisions and draft considerations all 30 teams will need to make over the summer. The 2022 NBA draft and free agency are just weeks away, so we begin with the Eastern Conference Southeast Division.

Southeast Division

Miami Heat: One victory away from the seventh NBA Finals in the franchise's history; tied for the third-best record in the league.

Atlanta Hawks: Suffered a first-round playoff loss to Miami after making the Eastern Conference Finals last season. 

Charlotte Hornets: Defeated in the play-in tournament; explosive offense and talented roster that struggled without Gordon Hayward (foot) throughout the back half of the season.

Washington Wizards: Finished 12 games under .500; acquired Kristaps Porzingis in a trade-deadline blockbuster with the Dallas Mavericks; star guard Bradley Beal underwent wrist surgery in February. 

Orlando Magic: Owners of the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Orlando is looking to emerge from a rebuild led by Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter, Jalen Suggs and more incoming talent. 

Orlando Magic

Potential departures: Mo Bamba, Gary Harris, Robin Lopez, Michael Carter-Williams, E'Twaun Moore

The Magic have a heady core of defenders with Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter and Jalen Suggs. Carter and Wagner bring impressive length to the frontcourt. The looming return of Jonathan Isaac from a myriad of knee troubles could eventually create a long-term logjam. However, the 24-year-old will be reintroduced slowly and was showcasing serious talent in 2019. Additionally, since he hasn't been accruing games played, his contractual guarantees have dropped. The Magic will be able to navigate this.

Gary Harris logged heavy minutes for Orlando throughout the first half of the season while grading as one of the worst players in the league. Although he improved down the stretch, his expiring contract is an addition by subtraction for Orlando. Cole Anthony can impress as a scorer, but is inconsistent, undersized, and not efficient enough to be a main contributor on a winning team. It's pretty safe to consider R.J. Hampton a bust -- at least relative to pre-draft expectations.

Orlando should be seeking star power to guide this offense to greatness. The Magic have that luxury and can choose between Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero to abide by that route. It won't address the above issue of lacking backcourt talent, but Orlando can hunt for offensive upside with its other selection (32nd overall). Small upgrades and savvy additions can be made in the offseason as well.

Pick considerations: Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, Kennedy Chandler, Trevor Keels 

Offseason considerations: Tyus Jones, Pat Connaughton, Wayne Ellington

Washington Wizards

Potential departures: Thomas Bryant, Raul Neto, Anthony Gill, Tomas Satoransky

A full season of Kristaps Porzingis -- the newest partner for Bradley Beal -- in Washington is on the horizon. A crew of quality role players will return, featuring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the youthful Deni Avdija and Daniel Gafford, who has shown some encouraging flashes.

A rung down, the likes of one-dimensional Corey Kispert, a revitalized but known commodity in Kyle Kuzma and a partially unknown commodity in Rui Hachimura round out the key contributors. This shooting cast yielded a bottom-five ranking in three-point percentage last season for the Wizards, a point to address.

Foremost, Washington needs a point guard and Washington needs defense. Dyson Daniels hangs his hat on defense, therefore solving both issues. Jeremy Sochan would bring crazy switchability to this lineup and take pressure off of Porzingis. Despite their struggles, this is a cap-tied Wizards team. The lottery selection will have a chance to play and grow immediately. 

Draft considerations: Dyson Daniels, Jeremy Sochan,  Johnny Davis

Offseason considerations: DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond, Austin Rivers, Rodney McGruder

Charlotte Hornets

Potential departures: Montrezl Harrell; Gordon Hayward (trade), Cody Martin

The restricted free-agency of Miles Bridges is a pivotal factor in the offseason, as well as for Charlotte's cap moving forward. Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier are scoring veterans taking up huge chunks of said cap. Cody Martin emerged as a solid role player, but he may not be affordable if Bridges returns around the max.

Kelly Oubre had a solid season, but he's at a price point the Hornets likely regret. The same goes for Mason Plumlee, whose contract the Hornets definitely regret. Escaping a slice of this financial commitment in the offseason would be ideal.

Star point guard, 20-year-old LaMelo Ball, is the focal point. Prospects James Bouknight and Kai Jones could factor into the equation moving forward, but neither showed much promise as rookies. P.J. Washington will be returning. 

Defense and rebounding are the needs. Charlotte possessing picks 13 and 15 in the upcoming draft. If Charlotte values this core, re-signing Bridges and hitting on immediate plus-defenders in the middle of Round 1 would be enough to climb into the tier of contenders. Packaging 13 and 15 to hunt for a star earlier in the lottery is also on the table. A sign-and-trade of Bridges could net a hefty return around the league. Pairing Bridges with draft assets would expand those possibilities even further.

Draft considerations: Jalen Duren, Jeremy Sochan, Johnny Davis, Mark Williams, Tari Eason

Offseason considerations: Jakob Poeltl (trade), Wendell Carter (trade), Isaiah Hartenstein, Nicolas Claxton, JaVale McGee 

Atlanta Hawks

Possible departures: Delon Wright, Danilo Gallinari, Clint Capela (trade), Lou Williams,

John Collins is also a candidate to be subtracted given that he'd been on the trade block for much of last season. However, it feels like he's the scapegoat for some of Atlanta's problems. Ultimately, he's just expensive. So is Kevin Huerter. He's overpaid and it's hard to disguise Trae Young on defense when Huerter is on the floor. That's problematic and Huerter isn't the caliber of contributor that Collins is. 

Collins is owed around $25 million annually until 2026. Onyeka Okongwu waits on deck -- the 21-year-old is a tantalizing defender, but he needs to improve his fouling tendencies. Nonetheless, Collins is talented and he remains in Atlanta unless a proper deal emerges. 

Danilo Galinari can be waived as a cost-savings move prior to July 1st. He was part of an extremely porous Atlanta defense. Delon Wright, on the other hand, was a plus-defender, but he can't be retained due to Atlanta's existing expenses. 

Young, Okongwu, Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic are the mainstays. Bogdanovic is stout offensively and Hunter may still be growing as a two-way player. If Huerter or Collins get moved, a returning package to improve the wings/frontcourt defensively without significant offensive disruption should be the priority. In regard to Collins, his impact would be missed from what was an efficient and well-rated Atlanta offense.

With Atlanta attempting to compete, moving back or trading the 16th pick may be wise. This mid-first round range lacks impact defenders with upside. The Hawks are clearly looking to make deals already, hence the ideology that this pick can be better leveraged. 

Draft considerations: Johnny Davis, Tari Eason, Jalen Williams

Offseason considerations: Cap clearing, Jevon Carter, Danuel House

Miami Heat

Potential departures: Victor Oladipo, Markieff Morris, Dewayne Dedmon

Miami should return almost all core contributors from its Eastern Conference Finals run. Caleb Martin is somewhat of a question mart, while Max Strus and Gabe Vincent played well enough to potentially warrant extension talks at some point.

Duncan Robinson is widely exploited and Miami has found superior backcourt contributors. Barring a transformation via Heat culture, his $90 million contract will be on the block. Robinson is a smart player and his shooting prowess subtracts from his albatross status, but he was close to un-playable for much of the second half of the season.

Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry will age another year into their 30s, Bam Adebayo will carry on into his prime as a perennial all-NBA defensive team candidate and Tyler Herro will keep getting buckets. Freshly 37 years old, the P.J. Tucker farewell tour could be upon us.

A physical specimen to add to the backcourt and another stopper as a combo-forward would be nice touches to a Miami franchise that is skilled at digging up talent.

Draft considerations: Marjon Beauchamp, Kendall Brown, Christian Braun, Trevor Keels 

Offseason considerations: Josh Okogie, Thaddeus Young