The Heat’s point guard picture is drawing the kind of scrutiny that usually shows up when a team thinks it can contend but still has one obvious soft spot. In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says Davion Mitchell has earned the starting role, but Miami still has real questions behind him.
Dru Smith is penciled in as the backup, and two-way player Tre Donaldson is in the mix too. For a team trying to stay in the hunt, Winderman suggests the front office and coaching staff may need to keep an eye out for another option if those concerns linger in preseason or before the trade deadline.
That depth issue sits alongside a bigger question: even with the addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo, are the Heat headed back to the play-in? Winderman points out that FanDuel has Miami and Toronto tied for sixth in the East at 45 1/2 wins.
Since only six teams in each conference get an automatic first-round spot, that projection leaves the Heat in a tight race. Winderman also takes a quick look at the projected top 10 teams in the East.
Elsewhere in the division, ESPN’s Zach Kram handed the Hawks an A- for their offseason work, saying they raised their floor by making a strong upgrade to the bench. Atlanta brought in Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Devin Carter and Ryan Nembhard in trades, then added Kingston Flemings through the lottery. The biggest question now, according to the ESPN Insiders, is whether Jalen Johnson, who is now viewed as the franchise’s star, can get them over the hump and win a playoff series.
The Magic also made a notable move off the court, naming DAZN as their exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming partner for the upcoming season, according to a team press release. All regular-season Magic games that are not nationally televised will stream on DAZN in the team’s local territory. Earlier this month, Orlando also announced WRDQ TV 27 and WFTV Channel 9 as its over-the-air broadcast partner.
In Other News...
Magic Suddenly Face More Pressure On A Roster Decision They Can't Delay
The NBAs punishment of the Clippers for cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard sent a clear message across the league, and it is one the Magic cant ignore as they sort through their own roster business. Los Angeles lost five future first-round picks, absorbed a $30 million fine and saw owner Steve Ballmer and executive Lawrence Frank hit with suspensions, while Leonard was fined $700,000. For teams trying to build sustainably, the ripple effect matters, especially for clubs with young talent and looming decisions on how aggressively to spend.
Orlando is in that group because restricted free agent Anthony Black is part of a summer conversation that cant be put off forever. The Magic have to balance cap flexibility, roster continuity and the cost of keeping a promising young piece in place, and the Clippers punishment is another reminder of how quickly team-building paths can narrow. In a league where the margin for error is thin, those choices only get more important when the rest of the NBA is watching every workaround with fresh suspicion. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Black Just Made Orlando's Next Roster Decision A Lot Tougher
Anthony Blacks breakout season gave the Magic something every front office wants and rarely gets so cleanly: a young guard whose rise is no longer theoretical. He averaged 15 points per game and showed clear growth as a two-way presence, turning himself from an intriguing piece into a player Orlando has to factor into every long-term conversation.
Orlandos problem is that the better Black looks, the trickier the roster math becomes. The Magic already have salary cap commitments tied up with key players, which could push any extension decision down the road until 2027, even as the team continues to evaluate where Black fits and how central he should be to what comes next. The upcoming season now feels less like a test of whether he belongs and more like a referendum on just how expensive that answer might become. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Doubts Are Growing Around Orlandos Quiet Offseason
The Magics offseason brought more continuity than drama, with Orlando choosing to keep Jonathan Isaac and Jevon Carter while adding Nikola Vucevic, Malaki Branham and JD Davison. It was a quiet approach for a team that also said goodbye to Moe Wagner and Jett Howard, and it left plenty of the core discussion centered less on new faces than on whether the familiar ones can take another step.
Law Murray of The Athletic reflected that uncertainty by nudging Orlando down in his latest power rankings, from No. 14 to No. 16, as the season approaches. The concern is less about talent than about the mix of injury history and inexperience surrounding first-time head coach Sean Sweeney, with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane carrying a heavy burden to make the roster look like more than a cautious offseason bet. [Read more 🡒]