NBA Championship Betting Odds: NBA Futures Betting

Here are the odds to win the 2025 NBA Finals. Odds vary by sportsbook and are subject to change.

• Boston Celtics: +240
• Oklahoma City Thunder: +425
• New York Knicks: +1000
• Cleveland Cavaliers: +1100
• Dallas Mavericks: +1100
• Denver Nuggets: +1400
• Golden State Warriors: +1500
• Phoenix Suns: +1600
• Minnesota Timberwolves: +2000
• Los Angeles Lakers: +2800
• Milwaukee Bucks: +2800
• Philadelphia 76ers: +4000
• Memphis Grizzlies: +4000
• Orlando Magic: +4500
• Miami Heat: +4500
• Los Angeles Clippers: +5500
• Indiana Pacers: +7500
• Houston Rockets: +8000
• Sacramento Kings: +10000
• New Orleans Pelicans: +25000
• San Antonio Spurs: +60000
• Atlanta Hawks: +100000
• Detroit Pistons: +100000
• Chicago Bulls: +100000
• Washington Wizards: +100000
• Utah Jazz: +100000
• Portland Trail Blazers: +100000
• Charlotte Hornets: +100000
• Brooklyn Nets: +100000
• Toronto Raptors: +100000

See below for the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference winner odds. NBA conference champion odds vary by sportsbook and are subject to change.

• Boston Celtics: +110
• New York Knicks: +450
• Cleveland Cavaliers: +475
• Milwaukee Bucks: +1100
• Orlando Magic: +1600
• Miami Heat: +1600
• Philadelphia 76ers: +1700
• Indiana Pacers: +2500
• Detroit Pistons: +25000
• Atlanta Hawks: +25000
• Washington Wizards: +70000
• Toronto Raptors: +70000
• Chicago Bulls: +70000
• Charlotte Hornets: +70000
• Brooklyn Nets: +70000

See below for the 2025 NBA Western Conference winner odds. NBA conference winner odds vary by sportsbook and are subject to change.

• Oklahoma City Thunder: +220
• Dallas Mavericks: +600
• Denver Nuggets: +700
• Golden State Warriors: +750
• Phoenix Suns: +800
• Minnesota Timberwolves: +1000
• Los Angeles Lakers: +1500
• Memphis Grizzlies: +1700
• Los Angeles Clippers: +2500
• Houston Rockets: +2800
• Sacramento Kings: +4000
• New Orleans Pelicans: +10000
• San Antonio Spurs: +25000
• Utah Jazz: +70000
• Portland Trail Blazers: +70000

Futures are bets on events that will happen later in the season, sometimes months away. Like futures bets in other sports, they can involve teams or individual players.

Examples of NBA futures include:

• Championship Winner
• Conference Winners
• Division Winners
• To Make the Playoffs
• To Win X+ Games
• Most Regular Season Wins
• To Participate In Play-In
• No. 1 Seed in Conferences
• Regular Season MVP
• Rookie of the Year
• Most Improved Player
• 6th Man of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year
• No. 1 NBA Draft Pick
• Conference to Win the NBA Finals
• Division to Win the NBA Finals
• State to Win the NBA Finals
• Will There Be a First-Time Champion?

We can generally sort futures into three tiers: favorites, dark horses, and long shots.

Favorites: The top teams or candidates for the betting market. They have the unofficial favorite label based on how their odds compare to the field. For example, five teams with +400 to +650 odds of winning the championship would be favorites, but if two teams were at +180 and the next closest was +1000, there would only be two true favorites.

In short, favorites have the best (shortest) + and – betting odds of winning, though they could be underdogs against a competitive field.

Dark horses: The middle tier of futures candidates. They have an outside chance at winning a particular race in the NBA, although they are not the public’s betting favorite. Some things will have to break their way as the season progresses. Dark horses can be around +1000 to win a particular betting market.

Long shots: This group consists of teams and players with a vast separation between them and the teams in the top tiers and cannot realistically win the betting market. Long-shot odds are generally worse than +2000. However, long shots can become dark horses or even favorites as time passes. It has happened.

Bottom line: Futures betting is challenging. Sports bettors might want to avoid the favored outcome when the odds are juiced (less profitable), but the longer the wait, the higher the risk of those odds shortening. Conversely, letting time pass allows bettors to see if the favorites slip up or if other top candidates emerge early in the season.

As with any sound bet, research is the name of the game. You might not find any viable wagers after you conduct your research, but having a thought process for a bet is recommended.

For NBA awards races, you want to look at past performances, roster composition, coaching, player movement around the league, and systems and styles. That could be the tip of the iceberg, depending on how much research you are looking to conduct.

For example, anyone betting on Giannis Antetokounmpo to win the scoring title should check his shooting percentage, his team’s pace of play, and his minutes per game. All of those numbers help predict his output for the season.

Similarly, an NBA fan looking to bet on the regular-season champion in terms of record will want to consider the division and conference. That will largely determine schedule toughness. So, if the Western Conference is superior and deeper than the Eastern Conference, teams out west will have more difficulty securing the league’s best record than an East Coast squad.

Looking at trends and the history of the particular market can also be relevant, although that should be tempered by additional research. 

The general process of placing an NBA futures bet is the same for single-game bets on the moneyline, spread, or over/under:

• Establish a betting account
• Find and select the bet on the sportsbook
• Assign a stake size
• Press submit

All of the best NBA betting sites offer futures markets. Here are some of our favorites:

• BetMGM Sportsbook: BetMGM is known as the King of Sportsbooks for its excellence across the board, including futures markets.
• Caesars Sportsbook: If you’re looking for NBA odds boosts, look no further. Caesars typically has the most in the industry on any given day, usually offering at least one boost per game. Sometimes it has special boosts or parlays for NBA futures as well.
• DraftKings Sportsbook: One of the most popular and widely available sportsbooks in the country, DraftKings makes building parlays easy with its Parlay Builder tool. It also has an extensive menu of NBA futures wagers available.
• FanDuel Sportsbook: FanDuel is user-friendly and has some of the most extensive betting markets in the industry for all sports, including NBA futures.
• Bet365 Sportsbook: The British-based gambling company has one of the best sportsbooks in the U.S.
• BetRivers Sportsbook: BetRivers is a solid option with a good range of betting markets and odds boosts.
• Fanatics Sportsbook: Previously PointsBet Sportsbook, Fanatics debuted in 2023 and is one of the newest sportsbooks on the market. It features a strong rewards program that provides FanCash with every bet, including NBA futures wagers.
• ESPN BET Sportsbook: Another newer sports betting site, ESPN BET launched in 2023 and has everything you’d expect from a modern sportsbook.
• Hard Rock Bet: A modern, high-quality sportsbook that has almost everything sports bettors are looking for.

Assuming you have already selected a sportsbook, you should consult the NBA tab of the betting menu. Once there, you should find a section for “Futures,” divided into various categories.

Look for any dropdown menus or expandable boxes if you do not immediately see futures after navigating to the NBA page. All futures bets are somewhere in this area.

While most sportsbooks offer NBA futures, the pricing quality can vary. We recommend bettors compare odds in the same market across multiple betting sites to find the best price. The odds for the Lakers to win the title might be the same across all sportsbooks, but there could be variation for the Celtics, for example. It depends on the team.

Sportsbooks tend to offer competitive or identical betting odds on events. Still, sometimes one will separate from the rest with a better line. Line shopping is a recommended part of the process.

If you have difficulty finding NBA futures bets at your online sportsbook, try typing it into the search bar or using a search engine. Results should direct you to betting lines for upcoming NBA events.

Remember that futures odds are fluid, changing based on wins, losses, injuries, and trades.

The most popular NBA future bet is on the upcoming champion. Odds change throughout the season and are available until the final game of the NBA Finals.

Another popular futures bet is the MVP award. Like predicting a champion, bettors pick their favorite candidate from a pool of athletes with varying value and likelihood. MVPs are decided purely by regular-season performances, but it helps if their team succeeds.

The Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) is another award that some sports gamblers throw money on. The DPOY is usually decided by a player’s impact on team defense and their influence in critical defensive metrics. Their steals, blocks and rebounds total are also a factor. Big men usually win the DPOY award because they produce better numbers than smaller guards.  

Races for other statistical awards include the scoring, rebounding, and assist titles. Several sportsbooks will offer lines for steals, blocks, and three-point shooting leaders, among other smaller categories, although these lines are less common. 

Bettors can also bet on division and conference winners, essentially picking which team will win the most games. At a more basic level, bettors can also predict whether teams will win over/under a number of games. 

Futures bets cover nearly every area of the NBA, and it is up to bettors to find playable wagers.

There are a few hotspots for NBA futures betting, all of which coincide with parts of the NBA calendar.

The first and most obvious time to place NBA futures bets is at the start of the season. Excitement is high, the odds are unaffected by late-developing events, and performances haven’t altered team outlooks. 

Futures bettors, however, can size up the market as soon as an NBA season wraps up. Every season, odds for the following year’s championship winner are released moments after the final seconds of the NBA Finals, capitalizing on the emotions of heavily invested fans. The reigning champions are almost always favored to win again, which means there is more value for other teams competing for the throne.

NBA bettors also frequently place futures wagers whenever significant events occur in the league, such as injuries or trades. For example, the Brooklyn Nets’ championship odds spiked after they traded for James Harden in 2021, which caused an influx in futures bets on them to win the championship.

Yet another popular time for NBA futures bets is at the start of the playoffs. At that point, seeds and home-court advantage are decided, and every team’s potential path to the title is clear. Bettors can evaluate matchups ahead and pick which team has the best chance of making a run for the Larry O’Brien trophy.   

You don’t have to place futures bets at a specific time in the year—savvy observers can pick a spot that makes the most sense for them and their team regardless of public influence.

• 2024: Boston Celtics (def. Dallas Mavericks 4-1)
• 2023: Denver Nuggets (def. Miami Heat 4-1)
• 2022: Golden State Warriors (def. Boston Celtics 4-2)
• 2021: Milwaukee Bucks (def. Phoenix Suns 4-2)
• 2020: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Miami Heat 4-2)
• 2019: Toronto Raptors (def. Golden State Warriors 4-2)
• 2018: Golden State Warriors (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0)
• 2017: Golden State Warriors (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1)
• 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers (def. Golden State Warriors 4-3)
• 2015: Golden State Warriors (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2)
• 2014: San Antonio Spurs (def. Miami Heat 4-1)
• 2013: Miami Heat (def. San Antonio Spurs 4-3)

• 2024: Nikola Jokic (center, Denver Nuggets)
• 2023: Joel Embiid (center, Philadelphia 76ers)
• 2022: Nikola Jokic (center, Denver Nuggets)
• 2021: Nikola Jokic (center, Denver Nuggets)
• 2020: Giannis Antetokounmpo (power forward, Milwaukee Bucks)
• 2019: Giannis Antetokounmpo (power forward, Milwaukee Bucks)
• 2018: James Harden (shooting guard, Houston Rockets)
• 2017: Russell Westbrook (point guard, Oklahoma City Thunder)
• 2016: Stephen Curry (point guard, Golden State Warriors)
• 2015: Stephen Curry (point guard, Golden State Warriors)
• 2014: Kevin Durant (small forward, Oklahoma City Thunder)
• 2013: LeBron James (small forward, Miami Heat)

Sportsbooks usually allow you to take an early cash-out in the build-up to an outcome, although only in some circumstances. Cash-outs ensure you don’t walk away empty-handed and save you worry if you become unsure about your bet.

Bettors can cash out early on NBA futures bets at most times leading up to the event or outcome they bet on, though there are a few exceptions. 

The first situation in which a futures bettor would not be able to secure a cash-out payment would be if the event or outcome is on the immediate horizon. Someone who bet on the Atlanta Hawks to win the NBA Finals would be unable to withdraw their bet for any prize if the Hawks were down 20 in the fourth quarter in Game Seven of the Finals.

Another scenario would be if a significant event has shaken up the league and sportsbooks are adjusting the odds. Depending on how the events affect your bet, you could receive higher or lower payouts than you previously would have.

One of the most undesirable spots to be in as a futures bettor is if your wager has lost nearly all chance of hitting or, worse, been mathematically reduced to an impossibility. Your bet may still appear in your “active bets” tab to show that you did place a wager, but there will be no or next-to-no value for it.

NBA bettors can parlay bet multiple futures to create larger potential payouts.

Parlaying NBA futures can involve picking the champion, MVP winner, and who will win the scoring title. If any of your selections loses, the entire parlay is graded as a loss. Parlays are very risky.

Parlays can be more exotic, like picking the champion in the NBA, NFL, and MLB for a particular season. Bettors have many options.

You can’t combine NBA futures with single-game outcomes. Futures bets must be grouped with other futures for a parlay. For example, you couldn’t parlay the Lakers to win the NBA title and the team to win a random game. You’d have to bet these separately.

Futures can be one-offs or parlayed into a larger bet. Monitor situations around the league to know when to cash out, buy back in, or hold your bet through the finish line.

A level of patience is needed for future bettors, as they are wagering on something that will not be known for an extended period. NBA futures are one of the most integral parts of NBA betting. They allow bettors to put their knowledge and foresight against the test of time and win a hefty payout if everything pans out.