2026 NBA Finals Futures Odds: Can Anyone Dethrone Reigning Champion OKC?
Oddsmakers see Oklahoma City as the clear favorite to win the NBA Finals for the second year in a row in 2026.
Oddsmakers see Oklahoma City as the clear favorite to win the NBA Finals for the second year in a row in 2026.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
After winning the 2025 NBA Finals as one of the youngest championship-winning teams in league history, the Thunder are unsurprisingly heavily favored to win it all, again, in 2026.
With a 26-year-old MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and two stars that are 24 years old or younger (Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren), it would be an understatement to say that the Thunder aren't going anywhere.
Depending on what they do with picks No. 15, 24, and 44 in the 2025 NBA Draft tonight, the Thunder could have at least three promising rookies in their rotation in 2025-26 (the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, 6-foot-6 G Nikola Topic, missed this past season due to injury).
2026 NBA Finals Futures Odds
DK FD bet365 Thunder +225 +220 +220 Rockets +750 +850 +800 Cavaliers +850 +800 +800 Knicks +850 +900 +900 Timberwolves +1300 +1400 +1400 Lakers +1400 +1500 +1400 Nuggets +1500 +1600 +1600 Celtics +2000 +1700 +1600 Warriors +2000 +2900 +2200 Magic +2000 +1200 +1400
Can Anyone Unseat The Thunder?
Recent NBA history tells us that it's almost impossible to win back-to-back titles. The last team to repeat as champs was Golden State (2017 and 2018).
In both 2023 and 2024, when the Nuggets and Celtics won the title in dominant fashion, those looked poised to repeat. Neither made the Finals the following season, though.
OKC, however, looks like a different story. For one thing, there's a good chance that injuries will be less of a factor in the 2025-26 regular season than they were in 2024-25.
Remember, this year's Thunder played more than half of the regular season without Chet Holmgren due to an early-season hip injury that limited him to 32 regular-season appearances.
OKC was also without center Isaiah Hartenstein for 25 games, and Alex Caruso missed 28 games in the regular season.
In 2025-26, the Thunder will have enough depth to win 70 regular-season games or more if healthy.
OKC will be lucky to be as injury-free next postseason as it was over the last couple months, though. The top nine players in the Thunder rotation all played in at least 21 of their 23 playoff games this year.
'26 NBA Finals Best Longshot Bets: ORL, DEN
For all the reasons outlined above -- not to mention the scary possibility that MVP SGA, All-Star Jalen Williams and likely NBA All-Defense contender Holmgren could all be even better with another year of experience -- there are no Western Conference teams I'd be in a hurry to back to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy next June.
That being said, if we have to give out one longshot from each conference based on what we know at the moment, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets (best odds as of June 25: +1600 at FD, bet365) would be my pick. Denver has some key decisions to make this summer around Jokic, but it did take OKC to seven games in this year's Western Conference Semifinals despite dealing with a number of injuries.
Orlando A Contender Following Desmond Bane Trade?
The East looks wide-open, though. Three of the top teams in the conference this year (Boston, Indiana and Milwaukee) will be without at least one massive piece after Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard all tore their Achilles during the 2025 playoffs.
Boston has already dealt away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. And the Celtics may not be done offloading high-earning players, as they appear intent on drastically cutting costs between now and Tatum's return to action in 2026-27.
With the Knicks yet to hire a replacement for coach Tom Thibodeau, the most intriguing team in this conference is the Magic. Orlando made the first blockbuster trade of the summer during the Finals, when it acquired Desmond Bane from the Grizzlies.
Bane has never been an All-Star, but he profiles as a great fit with the Magic, which suffered from a lack of outside shooting this season. He is a career 41 percent 3-point shooter on 6.3 3PA per game.
Bane's also a quality defender who will make the Magic -- who finished the 2024-25 regular season with the second-best defensive rating -- that much more difficult to score on.
Orlando finished just seventh in the East in 2024-25 as starters Paolo Banchero (46 regular-season games played in 2024-25), Franz Wagner (60 games) and Jalen Suggs (35 games) all missed at least 20 regular-season games.
But assuming this team stays healthy next year (or at least healthier) and Bane fits as seamlessly as expected, the Magic could absolutely contend for -- if not win -- the East.
Oddsmakers agree, as both FanDuel and bet365 list Orlando as +450 or shorter to win the Eastern Conference next season, behind only the Cavs and Knicks.
Obviously, a ton would have to go right for the Magic to take this kind of a leap, but there's not a more tempting 2026 NBA Finals longshot bet at the moment than Banchero and Co. at 20-to-1 (DK).
Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
After ankle surgery, what's next for Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Edey? Here's what one doctor says
The offseason injury bug found its way back to Memphis. While participating in an offseason training session last week, Grizzlies center Zach Edey sprained his left ankle. He recently had surgery to stabilize the ankle and will be reevaluated in four months. The injury is expected to keep the 7-foot-4 second-year player out for the beginning of the season, which starts Oct. 21. Advertisement The Grizzlies now must adjust to playing without Edey, who won't have the benefit of participating in a normal first NBA offseason. The Commercial Appeal spoke with Dr. Kenneth Jung, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles, to help provide clarity on Edey's outlook. Jung has worked with the Los Angeles Lakers and L.A. Kings, among other professional sports teams. Explaining Zach Edey's injury Edey's surgery was for an ankle sprain, a notion that can be perplexing. In theory, he could have healed from the sprain and been able to return to action before the NBA season began. Advertisement However, there's more to this injury. Surgery was elected to address the laxity in his left ankle, the Grizzlies said on June 10. In Jung's words, the ligaments in an ankle are like pieces of taffy. "Each time you roll it or sprain it, it can get a little more stretched out," he said. "It's not elastic. It doesn't go back to its original length . . . If it's stretched out, it doesn't necessarily in part have the same stability to the joint as it did before." Edey's surgery will stabilize the ankle and prevent constant sprains that could progressively get worse. Zach Edey's recovery process Jung said doctors will let the ankle heal before working on range of motion or anything else. Advertisement "You don't want it to heal stretched out," he said. "If it heals stretched out, then you might as well have not done anything." Jung estimates that it will take the ligament four to eight weeks to stabilize and heal before Edey can start rehab. Then there will be a gradual ramp-up toward basketball activity. Strength and confidence will be two of the biggest factors that determine how fast or methodical Edey's return will be after he's reevaluated in four months. "I'm sure that he's had episodes where he kind of just plants on it and it rolls," Jung said. "If he feels unsteady in that sense, then it's building up that confidence again where he can plant on it, push off and go. He's got to trust it again." Zach Edey's return These types of ankle surgeries are usually done in the offseason. While not the most common surgical procedure, there are NBA players who have had a similar surgery and returned to basketball. Advertisement Former Grizzlies guard Sam Merrill needed surgery in 2022 after enduring chronic ankle sprains. At the time, he called the surgery a "pretty rare" process. NBA veteran Taj Gibson had issues with his left ankle for multiple seasons before seeing a foot specialist and getting surgery in June 2015. He was able to return at the beginning of the following season and played in 73 games. Each player's body is different, but these examples show that Memphis can still factor Edey into its long-term plans. "(The surgeries) do very well," Jung said. "You hear ankle sprain, and it's not like Achilles rupture or ACL tear when the general public automatically associates it with surgery. In this case, you're doing surgery more for the chronic instability. Not necessarily because he had an ankle sprain." Advertisement Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Zach Edey injury: Doctor explains Grizzlies center's ankle surgery
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Memphis Grizzlies NBA Summer League schedule 2025: Games, times, TV in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas
The NBA has released the full schedule for the Memphis Grizzlies and all teams for the 2025 Las Vegas Summer League games. Scheduling for the Grizzlies' Salt Lake City Summer League games already had been announced. Advertisement The Grizzlies will play four games in Las Vegas, starting on July 11, before having a chance to advance to the semifinals and championship game. Summer league play in Vegas runs July 10-20. Memphis will play the Boston Celtics on July 11; Portland Trail Blazers on July 12; Golden State Warriors on July 15; and Atlanta Hawks on July 17. All Las Vegas games will be televised. As usual, Memphis will begin its run in Utah at the Salt Lake City Summer League with three other teams. The Grizzlies will play three games in Utah before heading to Las Vegas. The games in Utah won't count against their tournament record for Las Vegas. The Grizzlies play the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on July 5; Utah Jazz on July 7; and Philadelphia 76ers on July 8. Advertisement Summer league will be the first chance Grizzlies fans can see 2025 draft picks Cedric Coward, Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack. Coward, a first-round pick at No. 11 overall, is still "TBD" for summer league due to a shoulder injury from last season, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said. Coward said he feels healthy, but the Grizzlies want to see him practicing with contact before being cleared for games. Memphis hasn't announced its summer league team, but there are several names from the current roster who could be included. Jaylen Wells and GG Jackson are among the current players who have expressed interest in playing summer league games. Cam Spencer also could be included after playing sparingly this past season. Advertisement Former first-round pick Zach Edey had hoped to play in summer league, but his ankle injury will keep him out. Here is the full Grizzlies summer league schedule. Full Grizzlies Las Vegas, Salt Lake City Summer League schedule All times Central Salt Lake City July 5: Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder (6 p.m.) July 7: Grizzlies vs. Utah Jazz (8 p.m.) July 8: Grizzlies vs. Philadelphia 76ers (6 p.m.) Las Vegas July 11: Grizzlies vs. Celtics (3 p.m., NBATV) July 12: Grizzlies vs. Blazers (9:30 p.m., ESPN2) July 15: Grizzlies vs. Warriors (9:30 p.m., ESPN+) July 17: Grizzlies vs. Hawks (5 p.m., NBATV) Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies Las Vegas NBA Summer League schedule 2025 released
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Memphis Grizzlies draft West Virginia's Javon Small at No. 48 overall in 2025 NBA Draft
The Memphis Grizzlies took Javon Small with the 48th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on June 26. Small, a guard out of West Virginia, joins No. 11 overall pick Cedric Coward as players acquired in the draft this year by the Grizzlies. Advertisement Small may be listed at 6-foot-2, but he's one of the most athletic guards in the draft. He has a vertical of more than 40 inches and put together a productive college career. In four collegiate seasons at three schools, Small averaged at least 15 points and four assists three times. He averaged 18.6 points and 5.6 assists while shooting 35.3% on 3-pointers as a senior. Small spent his first two seasons at East Carolina. He transferred to Oklahoma State and finished his career at West Virginia. With Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Anthony backing up Ja Morant, the Grizzlies have established depth at point guard, but Small's ability to create his own shot and get teammates involved should increase the competition. Advertisement Adding Small and Coward gives the Grizzlies two rookies who will add athleticism and defensive potential to the perimeter. Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies pick WVU's Javon Small at No. 48 in 2025 NBA Draft
