As one NBA season comes to a close, the betting markets for another are beginning to open.
The Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals on Monday night, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games to cap a dominant playoff run where they went 16-3 overall and didn't play more than five games in any series.
Boston's title run completes a season-long journey where Boston entered as the favorite to win the title, finished with the best record and net rating in the league, and paid it off by coming out on top in the postseason.
Wire to wire dominance.
There will be time for celebration — and a parade — but soon the focus will shift for Boston and the rest of the NBA to the 2024-25 season.
A lot can change between now and the tip of the first game this October, as there is an interesting free agency and NBA draft that lie ahead. Still, oddsmakers have already given their thoughts on which team has the best chance to win it all in the 2024-25 campaign.
It may be a little early to place a futures bet, but if you're sold on a team making a big move this offseason, it could be worth jumping on them before that happens and undoubtedly shifts the odds.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics find themselves as the favorites once again, but who are the top contenders to take them down from the mountaintop of the NBA?
NBA Finals Odds for 2024-25 Season
Boston Celtics: +290Denver Nuggets: +800Oklahoma City Thunder: +850Minnesota Timberwolves: +900Milwaukee Bucks: +950Dallas Mavericks: +1000Philadelphia 76ers: +1400New York Knicks: +1600Los Angeles Lakers: +3000Golden State Warriors: +3000Phoenix Suns: +3000Los Angeles Clippers: +3000Miami Heat: +3500Cleveland Cavaliers: +4000Memphis Grizzlies: +4500New Orleans Pelicans: +5000Indiana Pacers: +5000Sacramento Kings: +7500Orlando Magic: +9000Atlanta Hawks: +12000San Antonio Spurs: +15000Houston Rockets: +20000Chicago Bulls: +40000Washington Wizards: +100000Utah Jazz: +100000Toronto Raptors: +100000Portland Trail Blazers: +100000Detroit Pistons: +100000Charlotte Hornets: +100000Brooklyn Nets: +100000Celtics Favored to Repeat as NBA Champions
Boston is a massive favorite to repeat as the NBA champs, sitting at under 3/1 odds to win the title while no other team is shorter than 8/1 in the market.
To put this in perspective, Boston has a 25.64 percent chance (!!) to win the title based on implied probability.
It makes sense that the C's are favored, as every single player in their rotation is under contract for the 2024-25 season. The only player that Boston may have to worry about is Derrick White, who is eligble for an extension beyond the 2024-25 season this offseason.
Still, the C's are primed to run things back with one of the most dominant rosters we've seen in recent years.
Oddsmakers Buying Timberwolves in Futures Market
The Minnesota Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals this season, and oddsmakers don't think this was a fluke.
The Wolves are No. 4 in the odds to win the title, a sign that oddsmakers expect them to keep their current core of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert intact.
It's possible the Wolves could make a tweak or two, but the rise of Edwards in the playoffs in the 2023-24 season clearly has vaulted this team to contender status. The Wolves are behind only the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder (the top two seeds in the West in the 2023-24 season) in the opening odds.
Mavericks Fourth Amongst Western Conference Teams in Finals Odds
Can the Mavericks get back to the Finals?
Dallas came up well short in the series against Boston, falling down 3-0 in the series, before losing in five games.
Still, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are an elite duo, and the Mavs can keep most of their rotation intact ahead of next season (Derrick Jones Jr. is the only player not under contract as of now).
Dallas is fourth in the odds amongst Western Conference teams, but that shouldn't be a cause for concern, as Dallas was the No. 5 seed in the West on its run this season.