Which Southeast division team improved most this offseason? Here's where the Hornets rank

Did the Hornets have the best offseason in their division?

Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

The Eastern Conference has been blown wide open by injuries, and it seems like everybody could end up securing a playoff berth. Even the Charlotte Hornets, last seen in the postseason nine years ago.

But to get that coveted postseason spot, a team needs to have at least a solid regular season. And the foundations for a solid regular season are laid in the summer.

So if you're one of the many fans asking yourself, "Can the Hornets make the playoffs next year?", you should also be asking yourself, "Did the Hornets have a satisfying offseason?".

It can be difficult to keep up with all the transactions happening around the Hornets, never mind knowing which moves the rivals in the Southeast Division made. That's where this article comes in and gives you both an overview and a ranking of all five teams' offseasons.

Miami Heat (5th)

Trades: Kevin Love & Kyle Anderson for Norman Powell | Duncan Robinson for Simone Fontecchio | Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 2nd (OWN) for a protected 2026 second (31-55, BKN)
Draft: Kasparas Jakucionis (20th pick)
Free Agency: Re-signed Davion Mitchell (24mil/2yrs) and Dru Smith (7.9mil/3yrs) | Used Keshad Johnson's Team Option (1.9mil/1yr) | Did not resign Alec Burks

Kasparas Jakucionis (right) next to NBA commissioner Adam Silver | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The good: Norman Powell is coming fresh off a career year with the Clippers and is an offensive weapon who will be able to take on a good chunk of the scoring load. Granted, he's not much of a playmaker and requires help defensively.

But getting him for an aging Kevin Love and "Slow-Mo" Kyle Anderson is a good deal, especially considering Erik Spoelstra is a fantastic defensive coach who should be able to scheme around Powell's weaknesses.

Retaining Davion Mitchell and Keshad Johnson is also a solid piece of business. Both shot good percentages from downtown in 2024-25, and Mitchell's defense will be much needed alongside Powell and Herro.

Davion Mitchell will stay in Miami for the foreseeable future | Matthew Smith-Imagn Images

The questionable: Selecting Kasparas Jakucionis at 20 is definitely not a bad decision. The Lithuanian is one of the best playmakers in this year's draft. On the flip side, there are also legitimate concerns about his defense and shooting, which led to him falling out of the lottery.

Getting rid of Duncan Robinson is another move that makes sense in principle, because the Heat doesn't need another offense-only player. Only getting back an at-best middle-of-the-pack role player in Fontecchio and a Traded Player Exception hurts a bit, though.

It's also understandable to want to duck the luxury tax, especially as a team that has no shot at a championship this year. But Haywood Highsmith is not the caliber of player you'd like to salary dump.

Similarly, Dru Smith is a solid prospect, and keeping him on the roster isn't wrong. It just seems unnecessary for the Heat to bring him back when they already have a stacked backcourt and could use another big man much more.

The bad: One of the players taking up space in the backcourt is Terry Rozier III, a good player during his time in Charlotte, but the exact opposite since his arrival in Miami.

On top of his incredibly inefficient offense and his hefty contract (~26.6mil$), he is currently involved in an investigation surrounding illegal sports betting.

The fact that the Heat weren't able to get rid of him is a negative. Overall, it's unclear what Miami's goal is. They currently have the eleventh-highest payroll in the league, according to Spotrac. Yet, their roster is very far away from contending, even in a relatively weak Eastern Conference.

That's why, despite an overall okay offseason, they find themselves in last place on this list.

Orlando Magic (4th)

Trades: Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 2025 1st, 2028 1st, 2030 1st, and a protected 2029 1st swap (1-2, all ORL) for Desmond Bane and a 2026 1st swap (PHX, WAS, MEM) | Amari Williams, Max Shulga, and favorable 2026 (DET, ORL) & 2027 (BOS, ORL) 2nds for Noah Penda
Draft: Jase Richardson (25th), Amari Williams (46th), Max Shulga (27th)
Free Agency: Extended Paolo Banchero (239mil/5yrs) | Signed Tyus Jones (~3.1mil/1yr) | Re-signed Mo Wagner (5mil/1yr) | Did not resign Gary Harris, Caleb Houstan, and Cory Joseph

Paolo Banchero (left) and Desmond Bane will be teammates in the new season | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The good: Whether you are a fan of Desmond Bane or not, you have to hand it to the Magic: They spotted an opening at the top of the Eastern Conference and immediately went all in.

Looking at the Magic's needs, Bane fits like a glove. He's a deadeye shooter, who is generally reliable on the offensive end and can handle the ball. He's also a good enough defender to function in Orlando.

With Tyus Jones and Jase Richardson, two more offensive-minded guards have joined the backcourt rotation. All of these acquisitions were made with one goal in mind: Improving the Magic's scoring.

Jamahl Mosley will be entering his fifth season as a headcoach of the Orlando Magic | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The questionable: Trading four second-rounders for Noah Penda, whose biggest concern is his offense and specifically his jumpshot, is risky considering these are also the weaknesses of this Magic team in general.

The bad: As brave as trading for Bane was, it also puts the core of this team under big pressure. Banchero, Wagner, Bane, Suggs, Isaac, and Wendell Carter Jr. are all tied up for at least three years on considerable contracts, monetary-wise.

On top of this financial commitment, the Magic can't afford to take a year off, even when heavily injured, because they barely have control over their upcoming first-round picks.

Orlando's moves this offseason were definitely controversial and could end up backfiring completely. It's definitely valid to question them. But they all followed the same vision, and that cohesiveness is important.

Even if this era of Magic basketball ends with no titles, nobody will be able to say that they didn't use all of their assets or were too scared to go for it when opportunity presented itself. That's something many promising teams in NBA history can't claim.

Washington Wizards (3rd)

Trades: Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, Micah Peavy, 2026 2nd (CHI) & 2029 2nd (SAC) for Cam Whitmore, CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, and 2027 2nd (CHI) | Kelly Olynyk for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and a least favorable 2026 2nd pick (DAL, PHI, OKC) | Colby Jones for Dillon Jones and a 2029 2nd (HOU) | Walter Clayton Jr. for Will Riley, Jamir Watkins, one favorable 2031 2nd (IND, MIA), and one 2032 2nd
Draft: Tre Johnson (6th pick), Walter Clayton Jr. (18th), Micah Peavy (40th), Jamir Watkins (43rd pick)
Free Agency: Khris Middleton used his player option (33.3mil/1yr) | Re-signed Anthony Gill (2.7mil/1yr) | Signed Marvin Bagley III (3.1mil/1yr) | Waived Richaun Holmes, Blake Wesley and Marcus Smart

Marvin Bagley III during his first stint with the Wizards (january 2024 - february 2025) | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The good: The Wizards have cleared a ton of cap space in the near future by essentially swapping the 2027-bound contracts of Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey for the expiring contracts of CJ McCollum and Blake Wesley.

Khris Middleton's big contract will expire in 2026 as well, leaving Washington with a projected payroll of just 59 million. That is a great position to be in as a team that already has a very promising young core and will be able to add even more talent on top of that.

Washington's draft strategy also added up. Tre Johnson was widely regarded as one of the best shooters in this year's crop, a much-needed boost for a team that finished last season second-to-last in three-point percentage.

And, just like the Wizards' other first-rounder Will Riley, Johnson is only 19 years old, matching the timeline of other core pieces like Alex Sarr (20), Bilal Coulibaly (21), Bub Carrington (20), and Kyshawn George (21).

Bilal Coulibaly is one of the more promising wing prospects in the NBA | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The questionable: Taking short-term flyers on Cam Whitmore and Marvin Bagley doesn't hurt much. But both have struggled a lot with efficiency in their respective NBA careers, making them as easy to get as they were.

That's as much as there is to really criticize because, overall, this was a good offseason for the Wizards. They are still so early in their rebuild that they can afford to take swings on younger players, and that's exactly what they did.

At the same time, they cleared a ton of cap space for the future. It's very possible that in a few years, when the Wizards are one of the better teams in the East, led by a superstar they lured in with their available money, we look back at this offseason as the key to their success.

Charlotte Hornets (2nd)

Trades: Jusuf Nurkic for Collin Sexton and a favorable 2030 2nd (LAC, UTA) | Mark Williams and a 2029 2nd (PHX) for Vasilije Micic, Liam McNeely, and an unfavorable 2029 1st (CLE, MIN, UTA)
| Vasilije Micic for Pat Connaughton and 2031&32 2nds (MIL)
Draft: Kon Knueppel (4th pick), Sion James (33rd pick), Ryan Kalkbrenner (34th pick)
Free Agency: Re-signed Tre Mann (24mil/3yr) | Signed Mason Plumlee (2.3mil/1yr), Spencer Dinwiddie (3.6mil/1yr) | Did not resign Taj Gibson and Seth Curry | Waived Josh Okogie

Kon Knueppel is only the second fourth pick in Hornets history, joining Cody Zeller in 2013. | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The good: Moving on from Mark Williams was overdue, and the Hornets even got some good stuff back in return. Liam McNeely already showed some positive things in the summer league, the late first in 2029 is useful, and Vasilije Micic turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Getting useful players and picks in return for both him and Jusuf Nurkic is simply really, really good. Neither of the two will ever contribute to winning basketball in the NBA again.

It's not set in stone that Sexton or Connaughton will do so, but it's much more likely. And that's not even taking into account the three players the Hornets can potentially get by using the second-rounders they acquired in those deals.

General Manager Jeff Peterson and his staff also had a productive draft. There are enough high-upside players and projects on the roster as is, so bringing in a bunch of higher-floor guys who don't need the ball all of the time makes sense.

Finally, bringing back Tre Mann for three years and only paying him eight million per is a steal as long as he stays healthy. He was on pace to be one of the league's best bench scorers before his season-ending injury last year.

The Hornets' new starting center? Moussa Diabate (left) will see plenty of playing time in the upcoming season. | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

The questionable: Mason Plumlee and Spencer Dinwiddie are not the most exciting free agency signings, that's for sure. Both should be able to provide a few solid minutes each game, but their experience is probably going to be more valuable than their on-court contributions.

It's fair to ask why the Hornets didn't try to get another big instead of Dinwiddie, and if they maybe could have gotten a superior one in comparison to Plumlee.

The concerns around the center spot are the only real blemish to this Hornets' offseason, though. The current front office has managed to continue the positive trend it's been on since it took reign in March 2024.

There seems to be a general strategy behind every move, which wasn't always the case under the predecessors.

Atlanta Hawks (1st)

Trades: Derik Queen for Asa Newell and a 2026 1st swap (NOP, MIL) | A 2027 2nd (CLE) and cash for Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Daeqwon Plowden and Clint Capela for a 2031 2nd pick swap (HOU) | Terrance Mann, Drake Powell, Georges Niang, and a 2031 2nd (CLE) for Kristaps Porzingis
Draft: Derik Queen (13th pick), Drake Powell (22nd)
Free Agency: Re-signed Nikola Djurisic (5.9mil/3yrs) | Signed Luke Kennard (11mil/1yr) and N'Faly Dante (4.5mil/2yrs) | Did not re-sign Garrison Matthews, Larry Nance Jr., Caris LeVert

Trae Young has been one of the league's best point guards for a while. Could this be the year where he makes his first finals appearance? | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The good: Where to even begin? Trading down ten spots in a meh draft class and getting an unprotected pick in next year's presumably better class as a reward? Great!

Snagging much sought-after combo guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who has plenty of playoff experience and two-way value? Nice!

Swapping three low-end rotation pieces for Kristaps Porzingis, who has looked back to his old self in recent national team appearances? This team could actually make the conference finals!

New General Manager Onsi Saleh has hit the ground running and created arguably the best supporting cast of Trae Young's career, surrounding him with almost exclusively good shooters and multiple plus defenders.

What makes this roster even more enticing, besides the quality on both ends, is the depth and the variety of lineups that head coach Quinn Snyder can roll out as a result of it.

Quinn Snyder has been to the NBA playoffs seven times, but never to a conference finals. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The questionable: The only way this offseason looks bad in a year's time is if Kristaps Porzingis won't be available in the postseason. If he's healthy, this is arguably a top 3 team in the East. If not, getting past the second round becomes very difficult.

Another thing to look out for during this season will be possible extensions for Young, Porzingis, and Dyson Daniels. Trae has a player option for the 2026/27 season, Kristaps would possibly hit unrestricted free agency, and Daniels would enter restricted free agency.

The final verdict

There shouldn't be much doubt that the Hawks had the best offseason in the Southeast Division. They drastically improved their roster without giving up much at all, to the point where they can make a deep playoff push.

Orlando also took a step forward, but had to sacrifice a large part of its future to get there. Miami got slightly better, but they aren't really headed in any direction.

And then there are the Wizards and Hornets, who both made the logical moves in the phases of their respective rebuilds.

So after all this, let's circle back to the beginning. Did the Hornets lay the foundation for a successful season, including a potential lower-seed playoff berth?

The answer can only be a resounding YES!

As fans of the purple and teal know, there are about a million things that can derail a season, and success is never guaranteed. But if there was ever a time in recent history to be optimistic about this team and this franchise, it is now!

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