2024 NBA Championship Odds Update
The start of NBA free agency and a few trades, including one that hasn’t even happened yet, have caused some big movement on the NBA championship futures.
A few days after the Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Championship the early title futures for 2024 at the Bovada Sportsbook listed the Boston Celtics as the favorites. That’s changed and the Nuggets are now favorites to repeat at +450.
Denver has moved to the top of the odds despite Bruce Brown leaving to sign with the Indiana Pacers. Also out the door was veteran Jeff Green. Denver was able to re-sign Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan while also signing Justin Holiday. Of course, if Denver does repeat it will be behind the dynamic duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
The Celtics may not be title favorites anymore but they’re still right behind the Nuggets at +500. Boston made a surprising move by trading for Kristap Porzingis, which ended Marcus Smart’s tenure in Boston. Will the addition of Porzingis to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Malcolm Brogdon be enough to bring a title back to Boston?
Suns, Heat make gains on NBA championship odds
Some of the larger gains on the NBA futures were made by the next two teams in line, the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat.
The Suns were listed at +900 in June but have since seen their odds improve to +650. Phoenix moved on from Chris Paul as expected, but unexpectedly improved by grabbing Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards. He’ll join an already stacked Suns starting lineup that includes Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton.
The Heat have seen a massive improvement on the odds, jumping from +2000 to +700. The change is likely due to a potential trade that hasn’t happened yet. Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has asked for a trade and has asked to go to Miami. The oddsmakers must expect that Portland will oblige that request. If Lillard does get his wish, he’ll join a Miami squad that went to the NBA Finals last season behind Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry.
Bucks round out top teams on the NBA title futures
Rounding out the top five teams on the NBA futures are the Milwaukee Bucks at +750. That’s down slightly from the +650 odds they were getting in June despite the fact Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Jae Crowder all re-signed to take another run for a title with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
A few other notable changes on the odds list include the Golden State Warriors moving from +1200 to +1000, and the Dallas Mavericks falling from +1200 to +2000.
The Warriors kept the band together by re-signing Draymond Green and they also brought in Chris Paul. The Mavericks re-signed Kyrie Irving to continue playing alongside Luka Doncic, but that duo wasn’t very successful at the end of last season.