2024-25 NBA Southeast Division Odds and Predictions

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The NBA’s Southeast division is arguably the worst division in the Association as of this writing. The divisional leader sits with a .500 record at the time of this writing. Additionally, none of the teams even crack the Top 15 for odds to win the NBA Championship.

If that wasn’t enough to make fans and bettors sour on the division as a whole, the Southeast also features two of the worst teams in the NBA with the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets.

And, further pouring salt on the wounds of this struggling division, the Southeast lost more talent in the Eastern Conference than any other division at the NBA Trade Deadline.

With that said, there’s still plenty of time for one of these teams to emerge as the best of the division and make some noise in the NBA Playoffs.

As of this writing, the Heat, Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks all sit within the Top 10 spots in the Conference. This means that all three would qualify for the NBA Play-In Tournament if it started today.

Let’s take a look at the latest NBA Southeast Division odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our NBA predictions on which team will win the Southeast Division.

2024-25 NBA Southeast Division Odds

Here are the NBA odds to win the Southeast Division, available at most sportsbooks.

The Orlando Magic opened the season as the odds-on favorites to win the Southeast Division. Although they’re still in the hunt, the Magic have fallen behind the Miami Heat with the sportsbooks.

This shift in favorites didn’t take place until beginning of February. Last month, the Magic was still favored at -300 odds while the Heat was +550. Since then, the Magic are mired in a slump while the Heat have clawed their way to the top of the division.

The Atlanta Hawks keep floating in the Top 10 seeding for the Conference and you can’t count them out for this division. They’re odds have fallen from +500 in January to +1000 in February, but that’s still better than their opening line of +1100 odds.

The Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards aren’t even listed at most sports betting sites due to their abysmal records. Last month, the both were at +10000 odds. Now, most sportsbooks have removed them from being wagered on.

That said, it’s always worthwhile to analyze wagers fully. With that, let’s break down each team and see why it might make sense to back them to win this division.

NBA Southeast Division Teams

Let’s take a closer look at the following NBA Teams competing in the Southeast Division:

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat currently sit on top of the division with a one game lead over the Orlando Magic. They also sit 7^th in the Eastern Conference as of this writing.

The Heat were mired in the biggest soap opera of the NBA – the Jimmy Butler saga. The talented star began butting heads with the team, then demanded a trade which created a tension-filled environment. Ultimately, Butler was suspended three times before forcing his way out of Miami.

The trade itself was a complex one. It involved five teams: Heat, Warriors, Jazz, Pistons and Raptors. Let’s just focus on what Miami’s net gain was in this trade.

The Heat gave up Butler, Josh Richardson, a half dozen future second round picks and cash considerations. They received Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell and a protected 2025 first round pick from the Warriors.

More than likely, the Heat will cash in on that first round pick. Mitchell and Anders are role players at best. They will fill out the Heat’s bench. The key is Wiggins. He’s a highly, talented two-way player that will definitely boost the Miami starting unit.

Wiggins fits perfectly on a team that stresses defense and smart decisions. The departure of Butler’s ball-domination should allow other players to flourish. In fact, I love that combination of Bam and Ware in the frontcourt. These two big-men are definitely making it harder for the opposition to have success in the paint.

If Miami can improve their 23^rd ranked offense that averages 110.5 ppg , this team could win another divisional crown and make some noise in the Playoffs.

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have been a disappointment this year. Last season, they exceeded expectations to win the Southeast Division. They were bounced in the First Round of the Playoffs.

Nevertheless, this Playoff experience was huge for such a young team. It was a jumping point for pundits who were picking the Magic to win the division this year and take a step towards the Top 5 in the Conference.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The Magic have taken a step back. However, it’s not because of a void in talent. It’s due to significant injuries costing both Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero to miss multiple months.

Now that both are back, this team is trying to regain some momentum to finish the second half of the season on a strong note.

The Magic are talented and athletic. However, they are not great on the offensive side of the court. As a team, Orlando ranks dead last in the league at 104.0 ppg. Other than Banchero and Wagner, this team lacks true scorers and didn’t do enough at the trade deadline to fix this issue.

Orlando does have the 2^nd best defense in the league as they allow only 105.7 ppg. So, if this team can improve their offense over the last few months of the regular season then they could potentially win the Southeast Division for a second straight year and maybe even advance beyond the First Round of the Playoffs.

Atlanta Hawks

After the Atlanta Hawks shipped out Dejounte Murray last year, they still played some decent basketball. I really like the upside for the duo of Dyson Daniels and Trae Young. These two stars make Atlanta fun to watch on a nightly basis.

Unfortunately, the team lost my favorite Hawk – Jalen Johnson. The uber-talented power forward suffered a season ending injury.

The Hawks made some moves at the trade deadline to try and boost the depth on this team. They got rid of De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Cody Zeller. They got back Caris LeVert, Georges Niang and a few second-round draft picks along with two pick swaps.

LeVert and Niang add some depth to this team, but they don’t make them a contender. Also, we see another trade deadline go by with Clint Capela still on the roster. The last few years, he’s been a popular name among the trading block.

Onyeka Okongwu is taking the reigns at Center, but Capela will still factor in when he’s healthy. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher has plenty of potential, but he’s going through the growing pains of his first season in the Association.

If Atlanta still had Johnson, I would jump on their value to win this division. They sit just 1.5 games back of the Heat at the time of this writing. That’s a testament to their scrappiness and to the division being down as a whole.

This roster doesn’t have the firepower to outplay the Heat and Magic over the final few months of the season but they do have enough to make the Play-In Tournament. And, that’s a moral victory for a team that suffered a big injury loss and was going through a bit of a transition this year.  

Charlotte Hornets

I really don’t understand what the Charlotte Hornets are doing as an organization. Every year they make moves to build for the future, yet that future never arrives. It’s another year, and another losing season.

How does a team with this much talent keep losing? Charlotte features players like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges. A failed trade with the Lakers brings Mark Williams back. When health, he’s a promising young center.

They also have solid depth with Tre Mann, Josh Okogie, Grand Williams, Moussa Diabate, and Jusuf Nurkic to name a few.

Injuries have definitely hurt the Hornets. Miller is out for the year. Ball has missed numerous games, like he does every year. Backup Mann, has missed half the year as well.

But this is an annual issue for the Hornets and they never seem to reach their full potential. Instead, they fall short and then stockpile draft assets that never seem to make the team better.

And to make things worse, the Hornets had their trade rescinded with the Lakers due to Williams’ health issues. So, Charlotte lost out on adding players like rookie Dalton Knecht and draft picks.

In other words, I wouldn’t wager on Charlotte to win this division for at least another decade. This organization seems to be clueless. They’re worse than the Utah Jazz who are stuck in the same dysfunction.

Washington Wizards

The difference between the Hornets and the Washington Wizards, most people expected the Wizards to be a bad team this year. They were +40000 odds to win the division at the start of the season. Currently, they’re not even being offered on the boards of most sportsbooks.

As of this writing, the Wizards have the worst record in the NBA by three games. They’re also 17 games back in the Southeast Division.

Washington was very active at the trade deadline as they made numerous moves to add prospects, picks and salary space.

The Wizards feature a young core of Alex Sarr, Jordan Poole, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, and Corey Kispert. They unloaded Deni Avdija during the off-season, which was a head scratcher considering how talented he is.

The Wizards would also unload the following players at the trade deadline: Kyle Kuzma, Jonas Valencunias, Marvin Bagley, Johnny Davis, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and Jared Butler.

In return, Washington received Colby Jones, Alex Len, Marcus Smart, AJ Johnson, Khris Middleton, Sidy Cissoko, and Reggie Jackson. At the time of this writing, the Wizards have let go Cissoko, Jackson and Len.

With all of those players coming and going, Washington also received a 2025 1^st round pick from the Grizzlies, a 2026 1^st round pick from the Thunder, a 2028 1^st round pick swap with the Bucks, and multiple second round picks from the Nuggets and Kings.

I would imagine that the Wiz move on from Middleton and Smart before next season as they try to build up more assets and young players.

In addition to their core group, Washington will also keep their 1^st round pick in 2025 if it’s a Top 10 spot. Considering that they have the worst record, and the most likely chance to finish with the #1 draft pick, the Wizards should end up with two first round picks in 2025, along with two seconds.

This team has finally figured out their path forward and you have to give them credit for charting a course and sticking with it. I honestly think this team can beat out the Hornets next year based on each team’s trajectory.

NBA Southeast Division Predictions

Our NBA Picks for the Southeast Division comes down to two teams: Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. If Jalen Johnson was healthy, I would take the Hawks. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

So, this division will be a battle to the wire between the Heat and Magic. Orlando has one of the best defenses in the league, but the worst offense. Miami has a comparable defense and slightly better offense (23 vs 30).

I love the duo of Wagner and Banchero in Orlando, along with Jalen Suggs. However, I also love Herro, Adebayo, and the addition of Wiggins. Plus, the contributions of young players like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, and Kel’el Ware have helped the Heat on both sides of the court.

Adding Davion Mitchell as an on-ball defender off the bench was the perfect move for this team that loves defense.

I’m taking the Heat to hold on and win the Southeast Division for the third time in the last four years.

Bet: Miami Heat (-115)

Recent NBA Southeast Division Winners