Miami showed its preseason puzzle again in Atlanta as Erik Spoelstra mixed lineups with Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware sharing the floor for just 8:03 amid a knee contusion scare. Adebayo left after a second-half contusion scare but said he felt fine, while Ware produced 6 points and 11 rebounds. The Heat shot poorly from deep (5 of 34) and leaned on Norman Powell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Ethan Thompson for 17-point bursts off the bench. The exhibition highlighted rotation questions ahead of opening night.

As the Heat chase consistency, Spoelstra tinkered with nine-man rotations, rested Jovic, and used the game to evaluate Jaquez, Larsson and Fontecchio alongside Ware in a possible hybrid frontcourt. With two more tune-ups and a charity intrasquad on Wednesday, Miami heads toward a heavy-opening schedule (Orlando Oct. 22, Knicks Oct. 26) while weighing internal development against established roles.

Kristaps Porzingis joins Atlanta via a three-team swap, immediately altering the Hawks’ ceiling with size, shooting, and rim protection, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker lands a four-year, $62 million deal and Luke Kennard provides reliable shooting depth on a one-year, $11 million pact. GMs across the league project Atlanta to finish fourth in the East, yet ESPN modeler Kevin Pelton pegs them at 44 wins and seventh in the conference, highlighting health risk for Porzingis and Jalen Johnson as the swing factors. The bench gains with Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher in more developed roles, and Trae Young now anchors what could be Atlanta’s most talented roster yet.

Healthy or not, the fit around Young looks optimized for offensive efficiency and spacing, with a deeper wing and guard rotation aiding both star production and late-game versatility. The question remains whether the health curve can stay favorable through a long season, but the accumulation of talent has Hawks fans buzzing in a way the franchise hasn’t felt in years.

A fantasy basketball primer on the draft picks and the path after the top nine. Booker surfaces as a first‑round candidate amid Phoenix’s rebuild, while Harden’s durability and Durant’s all‑around game anchor veteran floors. Curry remains a high‑floor veteran, and Amen Thompson is named as a looming breakout option.

The piece sketches Booker’s likely usage spike, with 35–40 minutes and 20+ shots per night, potentially echoing a Houston Harden‑style season. It flags other strong options like Maxey, Sengun, Mobley, and LaMelo Ball, and stresses weighing minutes, shot volume, and risk in the late first/early second rounds.

Overall message: set a plan that blends elite stability with selective upside, then chase depth in the late rounds as injuries and team dynamics unfold.