NBA 2026 Championship Odds: Who Gives the Best Value Now?
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Spread Astaire
- June 23, 2025
After the thrilling victory of the Oklahoma City Thunder last night in the NBA Finals, we set our eyes on the 2025-26 season and look ahead to who will be the champion. There are obviously plenty of moving parts this off-season; however, some anticipation of these potential moves can allow us to get a valuable price before these futures odds change. Let’s look ahead to next season and find a winning NBA pick.
NBA Championship Winner Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are in the situation that every franchise wants to be in. They have a talented young core and plenty of draft picks to continue to augment their roster. After cruising to the third-highest net rating in the last 50 years and an NBA championship, the question is, what changes do they really need to make?
However, back-to-back titles in this league have become increasingly rare because the wear and tear of the modern-day game causes too many injuries for these athletes. While the Oklahoma City Thunder do have a great chance to repeat as champions, at the current price, there is no value.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets made a splash on the final day of the 2025 season when they traded Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and this year’s first-round pick for Kevin Durant. The move was a win-now type of move, but it makes sense because it addresses the Rockets’ major issue in the postseason this year: their inability to create quality shots in the half-court.
When it comes to getting a half-court isolation bucket, even at the advanced age of 38, Kevin Durant is still at the top of the league. A 7 ft tall sharpshooter, there are not many players who can trouble Durant when he finds his signature jump shot. Durant is lethal in the mid-range, which will be huge in next season’s playoffs. The Rockets had problems getting buckets when it counted last season, and Durant will directly address this issue.
The major concern with the addition of Durant is his health. Over the past six seasons, Durant has only averaged 50 games played. The Rockets did give up a little bit of depth to sign Durant, and if he’s not able to stay healthy, then they just jettisoned a talented young player for nothing.
If you could have bet on the Rockets before the trade, you could have gotten a huge value, but now, the price is correct. If you are a huge Rockets or Durant fan, +800 isn’t bad, but there’s no need to race to the window to place this bet right now. If Durant does suffer an injury at some point during the season, you can most likely get a much more lucrative number at that time.
Indiana Pacers
No one expected the Pacers to be in the NBA Finals, yet here we are. Unfortunately for the Pacers and their fans, they most likely lost their star guard Tyrese Haliburton to an injury in Game 7 of the Finals. Haliburton will most likely miss all of next year.
The Pacers will still be a fun, competitive team, but this injury essentially ends their hopes for a championship next season.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks were expected to be viable in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, so it’ll be interesting to see which moves they make to augment an already good roster right now. The Knicks fell short against the Indiana Pacers, but I’m not sure what moves they can make this offseason to push them over the hump.
They fired head coach Tom Thibodeau and have yet to hire a replacement. It is hard to see that this new coach would be an upgrade. The two most likely candidates right now, Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown, are both defensive-minded head coaches that could have some similar flaws to Tom Thibodeau.
While the Knicks will be a good team once again, at this price, I don’t think there’s any value in this being the team that goes over the top to win the NBA Championship.
Cleveland Cavaliers
After an excellent regular season, the Cavaliers were disappointed to lose in the second round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers. The Cavaliers may make some moves, such as trading star guard Darius Garland to try and become a bigger, more versatile team.
They can also count on the continued development of Evan Mobley. However, it is tough to see what the Cavaliers could get in return for Garland and whether or not that pushes them over the line to become a true contender.
At 8 to 1, with the potential trade and the team improving, I can understand wanting to place a bet here on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers to Win the Championship (+800) at BetOnline
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers will be the darling of the gambling community this season with a full season of Luka Doncic paired with LeBron James. However, I do think this will be a team that is more bark than bite.
James showed his age toward the end of the season last year, and expecting him to carry a team at this age is a tough ask.
The Lakers also lack depth and athleticism. They will need to acquire a center, but in this year’s market, that will be one of the easiest acquisitions. So when they do acquire a new center, they will look much better on paper, but do not fall for it. This team still will lacks the athleticism and defensive chops to win a championship. The Lakers will be talked about constantly on every show and podcast, but they are not a true contender.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves have made the Western Conference Finals two seasons in a row, however, they have plenty of flaws that seem easy for opposing teams to exploit once we are in the final four teams.
The Timberwolves still have too many players who are inconsistent. Rudy Gobert is a great defensive player, but he can be a vacuum on offense sometimes, and it is tough to see the Timberwolves able to win at the highest level with him getting consistent minutes. Julius Randle shows why you can’t trust him in a big playoff game, as he disappeared once again in the Western Conference Finals after a great postseason run. Anthony Edwards will continue to improve.
Yet the Timberwolves will lose one of their top three players who are free agents this offseason. So, with the team losing either Julius Randle, Naz Reid, or Nickeil Alexander-Walker, it is unlikely the team will be better than last season’s team. I would personally move on from Randle, but I don’t think the Timberwolves will. Because of this I cannot place a bet on the Timberwolves.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets still have the best player in the world, Nikola Jokic, and they’re finally amenable to trading Michael Porter Jr. If the Nuggets had traded him last season, they could have won another championship. However, they fell in love with the player who does nothing but score. Once the Nuggets move on from Porter Jr., they should have a better chance at getting the depth and defensive athleticism they need to surround Jokic and become a contender once again. The return for Porter Jr will be key.
If the Nuggets get a haul, they will easily become the top team in the West once again. At 16 to 1, this is a great play. Take the Denver Nuggets.
NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets to Win the Championship (+1600) at BetOnline
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs will be a popular team at 20:1 because they do have up-and-coming superstar Victor Wembanyama, rising star Stephon Castle, and the number 3 overall pick in the draft. However, this team will still be too young to compete with the top dogs in the West. This team will look like the Thunder did last year. The Spurs will put up great regular-season numbers and flame out in the playoffs. If you want to bet the Spurs, bet them for 2026-27.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are an interesting team because, after the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, they were clearly one of the best teams in the league. However, this team has only gotten older, and the idea that they will stay healthy long enough to make a full postseason run is dubious.
However, at 22:1, this is a fair price, and if you’re a fan of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and the old dynasty down by the bay, I don’t think this is too bad a play to make. The Warriors will probably make moves to improve in the offseason, knowing this is their last year of true contention with this core.
Orlando Magic
The Magic went all in, sending four first-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in order to acquire Desmond Bane. Bane will be the perfect addition for the Orlando Magic as he is a good defender, but he is also an excellent sharpshooter.
The thing the Magic need the most is scoring and shooting. Bane provides both while not being a liability on the defensive end. The fact that the Magic could acquire a player who fits their culture so well makes it worth the exorbitant cost that they sent out to get Bane. Because of this, and the uncertainty around the top teams in the East, I think the Magic are worth a flyer at 12 to 1.
NBA Pick: Orlando Magic to Win the Championship (+1200) at BetOnline
Milwaukee Bucks
If the Bucks do not trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, they could still have an MVP-level player in a conference that lacks certainty up top. The Bucks could easily make a move or two to surround Giannis with the right pieces and make them a better team overall.
Just because of the greatness of Giannis, this number interests me. At 50 to 1, all it takes is a couple of strong roster moves, and the Bucks are right back in contention. It may seem crazy after the team looked so lost in the first round of the playoffs last season, however, with a player like Giannis, I can’t turn down 50 to one.
NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks to Win the Championship (+5000) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
