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Never before as the NBA felt more open than it does now. Serious injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton have doomed the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, the last two Eastern Conference champions. As we inch closer towards NBA Opening Day, only the defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder feel like a safe bet to return to the NBA Finals. Read on to access expert NBA finals futures picks and explore stats and tips to make your best NBA future bets.
- National Basketball Association
- 30 teams across USA and Canada
- 82-game regular season followed by 16-team playoffs
- ABC will broadcast the NBA Finals
2025/26 NBA Finals Futures Betting Odds
The Thunder are the top favorites to win the NBA Finals at (+275). A four-team tier follows suit, including the Denver Nuggets (+800), Cleveland Cavaliers (+800), the New York Knicks (+800), and the Houston Rockets (+850). Orlando, the LA Lakers and Clippers, Golden State, Atlanta, Minnesota, and Dallas all range from (+1800) to (+2500). That leaves every other team lined at (+4000) or better, including the Celtics and Pacers.
NBA 
Oklahoma City Thunder +275 +265 +265 Denver Nuggets +700 +800 +800 Cleveland Cavaliers +750 +800 +750 New York Knicks +800 +800 +800 Houston Rockets +850 +800 +700 Orlando Magic +1400 +2000 +1800 Los Angeles Lakers +1800 +1600 +1400 Los Angeles Clippers +2000 +1600 +1800 Golden State Warriors +2000 +2500 +2000 Minnesota Timberwolves +2000 +1800 +2000 Atlanta Hawks +2200 +2800 +2200 Dallas Mavericks +2800 +2800 +2500 Detroit Pistons +3300 +4000 +4500 Philadelphia 76ers +3300 +3000 +4000 Boston Celtics +4000 +5000 +4500 Indiana Pacers +5000 +8000 +5000 Milwaukee Bucks +5000 +6000 +5500 San Antonio Spurs +5000 +6000 +4000
Want to better understand the futures market? See our page on top NBA basketball betting sites and explore our guide on NBA Finals betting guide.
Oklahoma City Thunder Poised for Dynasty?
Last year’s record-breaking Oklahoma City Thunder are this year’s big favorites, and rightfully so. The Thunder outscored their opponents by an average of 12.9 points, easily surpassing the all-time record of 12.3 set by the Lakers in 1972. After defeating the Grizzlies 131-80 in the biggest Game 1 victory in playoff history, it felt like writing on the wall OKC would win it all.
But a grueling seven-game series with the Pacers tested the Thunder’s young core. Indiana’s style matched up well with the Thunder, significantly closing the talent gap. After Haliburton fell to an Achilles injury, the Thunder hoisted the first-ever trophy by a professional team from the state of Oklahoma. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home both NBA MVP and Finals MVP honors.
At an average of 25.6 years old, OKC was the second-youngest team to ever win an NBA championship. In what looks to be a down season for the league’s top teams, the late 20’s are beginning to look like OKC’s to lose. However, I can’t justify betting on a team at this price (+265). That’s about as low as it gets for NBA title odds, and around where Boston was this time last year.
Can Cleveland Finally Make it Over the Hump?
The Cleveland Cavaliers were shocked in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers in just five games, marking an abrupt end to an all-time great season. At one point it looked like the Cavs were close to finishing with 70 wins until a downturn in late March. That hope was initially sparked by a 15-game winning streak to start the campaign, becoming only the 4th team in NBA history to do so. The win streak also tied for the longest in franchise history.
While Cleveland won their first division title without Lebron James since 1976, it felt like a disappointing season. The Knicks eliminated Boston in the second round, giving Cleveland a golden opportunity to make their first trip to the Finals since 2018. After falling short in prior seasons, inexperience was labeled the main factor. Jarrett Allen infamously stated that “the lights were too bright.”
This new season represents another chance for Cleveland to finally make it over the hump. Cleveland replaced losses of Isaac Okoro and Ty Jerome with Lonzo Ball, Tyrese Proctor and Larry Nance, Jr. There’s no reason to believe Cleveland should fall far from the 64-win mark they set last year. Yet bookmakers are pricing the Cavs in lockstep with New York, Denver, and Houston, all of whom had inferior records in 2024-25.
I think Cleveland is getting a ton of disrespect and should be the favorite to come out of the East by a much wider margin.
NBA Finals Futures: Any Dark Horses in 2025/26?
As the Rockets and Nuggets gain attention from trendy pundits lauding the coaching of Ime Udoka and the resiliency of Nikola Jokic, one team continuously gets left out of the conversation. Back-to-back Western Conference runners-up, the Minnesota Timberwolves are running it back in 2025-26 with largely the same core squad. Anthony Edwards will lead the helm for Minnesota, who is a long (+2000) to win the title.
It’s hard to understand the hesitancy to back Minnesota. Yes, they play in a loaded Northwest division, but divisions are essentially irrelevant in the NBA. A 49-33 record last year showed signs of decline but can ultimately be attributed to an adjustment period without Karl Anthony-Towns. Future Hall-of-Famer Rudy Gobert remains on the team alongside Donte Divinvenzo, Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle.
According to Basketball Reference’s simple rating system, Minnesota deserved to be the 2nd-best finisher in the West. Now they have two years in the belt knocking on the door of the Finals and a maturing young core. I think this team should be up closer to (+1000), leading to my final NBA Finals futures prediction.
Odds are accurate at time of writing but subject to change.
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