The Magic made the playoffs last season, to the surprise of many. They were, perhaps, a year ahead of schedule. Now that they have made it to the playoffs once with this core, the Magic do not want to leave again.
The Eastern Conference is stacked, however. While several teams are expected to tank, others should be some of the best teams in the league. Securing a playoff spot and maybe even homecourt advantage won't be easy for the Magic.
The NBA season is always full of surprises, however. It only takes one injury to take some teams out of contention and put others in their spot. Still, let's take a look at what the Eastern Conference might look like next season.
The non-playoff teams in the East
While the Eastern Conference will feature some of the better teams in the league, it will also have some of the worst. Last season, the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards put together some of the worst seasons we have seen in a while. That likely won't change in 2024-25, as the two squads will compete for the worst record in the Eastern Conference as well as the league.
The Pistons and Wizards are not the only teams that are clearly out of playoff contention, though. The Brooklyn Nets still have some good players but officially kicked off their rebuild when they sent Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks. Likewise, the Chicago Bulls do not look good. They traded Alex Caruso to Oklahoma for Josh Giddey and DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings. 2024-25 should be the season the Bulls escape their constant mediocrity, but not the way they would have liked.
The final non-playoff team in the East should be the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets have some interesting young players but not nearly enough talent and experience to compete in a stacked Eastern Conference, especially if LaMelo Ball cannot stay healthy.