With the 2024-25 NBA season completed and the Thunder crowned champions, it’s time to look ahead to the 2025-26 season. DraftKings Sportsbook already has odds up for each team to win next year’s NBA championship and below, I have featured a few of my favorite early bets for this market.
Golden State Warriors +2000
The Warriors were one of the best teams in the NBA after trading for Jimmy Butler in February last season, but unfortunately, Stephen Curry went down with a hamstring injury in Golden State’s second series vs. the Timberwolves, ultimately leading to the Warriors losing four straight and being eliminated. Golden State won the first game of this series by 11 points and the Warriors absolutely had the potential to make a deep postseason run if Curry didn’t get hurt.
Following the acquisition of Butler in February, Golden State went 23-8 to finish the regular season and the club ranked third in net rating, only trailing the Thunder and Celtics during this span. The Warriors had legitimate title aspirations and now, Golden State heads into the team’s first full season with Butler at the helm. If the club can avoid any major injuries to either Curry or Butler, which is a big if with the two players at 37 and 35-years-old, respectively, Golden State could finish with a high seed in the Western Conference and contend for a championship, making the team worth taking a chance on at these +2000 odds.
Boston Celtics +1600
The Celtics would without a doubt be one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship next season if Jayson Tatum didn’t tear his Achilles last month. Many believe that he likely won’t play next season, but there is a decent chance he does in the latter stages of the season, based on Tatum’s undeniable work ethic. Plus, the forward tore his Achilles against the Knicks in New York and didn’t have to travel to have the surgery done, as renowned physician Dr. Martin O’Malley is based in New York. Tatum had his surgery done less than a day after the injury occurred and the less time between injury and surgery is supposedly crucial for recovery. If the Celtics can be in the position to make the playoffs next spring, Tatum should make a great effort to rejoin his teammates and contend for a championship.
Overcoming Tatum’s absence for most of the season to ensure a playoff spot before he returns is a very achievable feat for this Boston club, which will be led by Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. The Celtics are 17-4 with Tatum inactive the last two seasons and the Eastern Conference is rather wide open right now, with the Knicks still without a head coach and Tyrese Haliburton likely to be out for the entire season for the Pacers. In efforts to get under the second apron, the Celtics just traded Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers and in return, Boston received Anfernee Simons and a pair of second-round picks. For four seasons in a row, Simons has averaged at least 17 PPG and at least 3.0 made three-pointers per game. While the Celtics lost defensive leadership in Holiday, Boston gained an elite offensive piece in Simons that should mold into the Celtics’ deep shooting offense perfectly, as Boston has led the league in made three-pointers the last two seasons.
For Boston to get Simons in return for the aging Holiday in essentially a salary dump deal is extremely impressive and Boston is expected to make more trades this offseason, most notably with Kristaps Porzingis likely on the move. Based on Celtics’ president Brad Stevens’ elite resume of making trades like the Holiday-for-Simons deal, there is a great chance of Stevens making even a few more trades that revamp this roster while also shedding salary. All-in-all, the Celtics being a championship-contending team next spring isn’t out of the question and betting on the club at these long +1600 odds makes a ton of sense.
Orlando Magic +2000
Sprinkling on the Magic at these long +2000 odds has a ton of merit. Despite being plagued by injuries, Orlando has made the playoffs the last two seasons and while the club didn’t advance past the first round either time, the Magic’s young core gained valuable playoff experience in each series and Orlando is ready to take another step forward next season, especially after trading for Desmond Bane a few weeks ago. The Magic have regularly been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA since drafting Paolo Banchero, but Orlando has been held back by the team’s offense. The Magic have two great offensive players in Banchero and Franz Wagner to lead the team, but after that, Orlando has been very thin on offensive weapons and as a whole, the squad has struggled mightily as a three-point shooting group, which is obviously very important in today’s NBA.
So, to directly address these offensive issues, the Magic went out and acquired Bane from the Grizzlies, which is the exact type of player Orlando needs. Over the last four seasons, the shooting guard is averaging 20.7 PPG while shooting 47% from the field. Bane will especially help the Magic become a better outside shooting team, as he is averaging 2.9 made three-pointers per game over the last four seasons while shooting 40% from beyond the arc.
Another very encouraging factor for the Magic this coming season is that Jalen Suggs will be healthy again after only appearing in 35 games last season due to a knee injury. The guard was averaging a career-high 16.2 PPG last season before getting hurt and Suggs is undoubtedly one of the best defensive guards in the NBA. A core of Suggs, Bane, Banchero and Wagner has tremendous upside if these players can stay healthy and the Magic making a Pacers-like run to the NBA Finals next season is a possibility.
