Southeast Division NBA Odds and Predictions 2024-25: Who Will Win the Southeast Division in NBA 2024-25? (Magic or Heat?)

The Eastern Conference’s Southeast Division doesn’t appear to have a potential NBA championship contender, but the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat can make noise in the playoffs if they remain healthy and peak at the right time.

(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Orlando won the division last season, while Miami has been its No. 1 team three of the past five seasons.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Orlando Magic
2. Miami Heat
3. Atlanta Hawks
4. Charlotte Hornets
5. Washington Wizards

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NBA Southeast Division 2024-25: Current Odds to Win

*Odds as of October 1st

Orlando Magic NBA Southeast Division Season Overview 2024-2025 (47-35, first round playoffs)

Season Overview

• Last NBA Championship: None.
• Key Move: Signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a 3-year, $66 million dollar deal. He’s been a valuable playoff contributor in stops with Los Angeles and Denver.
• In A Nutshell: This franchise took a big step in the right direction last season with a 13-game improvement (going from 34-48 in 2022-23), but taking the next step up from last season won’t be easy.

Orlando Magic Synopsis

A 13-game improvement doesn’t happen by accident, as the Magic have drafted well and made good acquisitions over the past four seasons. Power forward and former No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, who will still be 21 when the season tips-off Oct. 22, is a rising star and Orlando brass feel Franz Wagner is too.

The Magic signed him to a 5-year, $224 million extension and after the NBA Summer League, many feel drafting Tristan Da Silva at No. 16 overall was another great move. With Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Suggs and Garry Harris along with a healthy Wendell Carter Jr., the defense will be good. The franchise also has plenty of financial flexibility if it feels the offense in the backcourt is not up to snuff.

The Magic offense was 24th in the league last season (110.5), so if that doesn’t improve they could look to make a move involving one of the young pieces (Anthony Black, Cole Anthony, etc.) before the trade deadline. Battling with Boston, New York and Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference might take one more wise move.

Orlando Magic 2024-2025 NBA Southeast Division Prediction

• Prediction: 48-34. Getting past the first round (or not) will tell the tale.

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Miami Heat NBA Southeast Division Season Overview 2024-2025 (46-36, first round playoffs)

Season Overview

• Last NBA Championship: 2012-13
• Key Move: Giving Bam Adebayo a 3-year, $165 million extension. As Jimmy Butler ages, this is going to be Bam’s team very soon.
• In A Nutshell: This franchise has continuity and a core talent base, but it will be a fight to get out of the first round of the playoffs.

Miami Heat Synopsis

The Miami brass didn’t make any big off-season moves, but "Heat Culture” is real and this team will be competitive down to the playoff wire. The key to the season will be how healthy perennial NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler is during the second half of the season, but he wasn’t the only key piece missing in last season’s first round playoff loss to eventual NBA champ Boston.

The Heat were missing point guard Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson was banged up. Kel’el Ware could be a draft steal, but can he play with Bam Adebayo at the same time and is there enough offense for this team to win the division and get a favorable playoff seed? If Butler is healthy, will Jaime Jaquez continue to progress as expected in his second season?

There are some key questions to answer but there is no doubt this team will be competitive and no team will want to meet it in the first round of the playoffs.

Miami Heat 2024-2025 NBA Southeast Division Prediction

• Prediction: Prediction: 44-38. Does Butler have one more monster playoff run in him? Don’t bet against it.

Atlanta Hawks NBA Southeast Division Season Overview 2024-2025 (36-46, Play-in No. 10 seed)

Season Overview

• Last NBA Championship: 1957-58 (When franchise in St Louis.)
• Key Move: Trading away Dejounte Murray after realizing the backcourt experiment with Trae Young wasn’t going to work.
• In A Nutshell: This team can’t beat the Eastern Conference front-runners, but is much better than its cellar dwellers. If another play-in looks like reality and there is no momentum early on, will moving Young be the next go-to move towards a true rebuild?

Atlanta Hawks Synopsis

Even though Atlanta won the NBA Draft lottery with only a three percent chance, the draft didn’t yield a franchise-changing talent (at least not one any franchise can bank on). Similar to drafting Zaccharie Risacher, this whole season is somewhat of a gamble for the Hawks.

The ideal scenario is shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is a good fit with star guard Trae Young, Jalen Johnson is healthy and plays like an All-Star, Clint Capela defends well against father time and Risacher contributes like a normal No. 1 overall pick.

The nightmare scenario is there isn’t hope to be more than a play-in team, focus and motivation wanes and the defense regresses. The latter is not out of the question and at that point the question is for how long can this be Young’s team? Was the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals appearance a total fluke? Or can Young lead this franchise towards that once again? Don’t bank on that type of run with the current personnel.

Atlanta Hawks 2024-2025 NBA Southeast Division Prediction

• Prediction: 34-48. The Hawks are a bit stuck in no-man’s land.

Charlotte Hornets NBA Southeast Division Season Overview 2024-2025 (21-61, Missed Playoffs)

Season Overview

• Last NBA Championship: None.
• Key Move: Getting a new VP of Basketball Operations (35-year old Jeff Peterson) and a new coach (39-year old Charles Lee) to get on the right track after another disappointing season, but new leadership can’t dictate the health of key players.
• In A Nutshell: This franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016 and won’t make it this year, but this season will be critical to gauge if this young core is on the right track.

Charlotte Hornets Synopsis

This franchise will go as Melo goes, in this case point guard Melo Ball, who is still only 23 years old with a world of talent. A core of Ball, second-year wing Brandon Miller and power forward Miles Bridges (who signed a 3-year, $75 million extension) has good long term potential and gives the fan base something to look forward to.

If Josh Green is the answer at the two-guard and the two-headed monster of Nick Richards and Mark Williams in the pivot continue to develop, this team could be heading for the playoffs….in 2025-26.

Still, a lot has to go right to think playoffs next season, starting with Ball being healthy. He hasn’t proven to be very durable so far in his career. More than that, Ball has to display winning intangibles and show that he can lead a team when it matters. Charlotte has some talent, but very few pieces with any experience in winning moments.

Charlotte Hornets 2024-2025 NBA Southeast Division Prediction

• Prediction: 25-57. Will show improvement, but still one key piece away.

For expert predictions and top picks for the Southeast Division, check out our Ballislife Bets section.

Washington Wizards NBA Southeast Division Season Overview 2024-2025 (15-67, Missed Playoffs)

Season Overview

• Last NBA Championship: 1977-78 (When known as Bullets)
• Key Move: Going to a complete youth movement in the off-season and realizing the team must build up from rock bottom.
• In A Nutshell: There isn’t much talent to win ball games, but there are plenty of young players (12 with less than four years of experience) to decide which ones are worth keeping in the future.

Washington Wizards Synopsis

This is going to be rock bottom. The Wizards will look for players to keep who compete and carry themselves like long-term professionals.

The franchise has plenty of draft capital and is banking on rookie Alex Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick, being a future cornerstone and picking up a franchise-changing talent in the 2025 NBA Draft. Newcomer and veteran Malcolm Brodgdon might be able to bring out the best in Jordan Poole, who has poor pace and feel which is compounded by the lack of talent around him.

New coach Brian Keefe will try every combination possible and he will hold the rotation accountable defensively. Other than that, hope for no injuries and some good luck in the 2025 NBA Draft lottery.

Washington Wizards 2024-2025 NBA Southeast Division Prediction

• Prediction: 18-64. Effort goes a long way, but talent goes further.

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