As the NBA goes into summer vacation mode, it’s never too early to take a look at next season’s title odds and identify which teams are smart to bet on right now.
The newly-crowned Denver Nuggets ruled the league this season, and they are among my five teams to watch.
How about the Phoenix Suns? Yes, they are reportedly making a blockbuster trade for All-Star guard Bradley Beal, which saw their title odds shorten from +900 to +650 (at most sportsbooks) upon the news, but they didn’t make my top five teams to bet on this offseason.
Instead, my collection of teams are intriguing to me for various reasons. One team has the best roster in the league and is a tweak or two away, another just exchanged a Doc for a Nurse, while a third is a relatively long-shot bet that could pay a king’s ransom if it hits.
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Also, don’t forget the NBA Draft is Thursday, and the free agency period begins July 1, so you better believe there will be noteworthy changes to rosters in the coming weeks. Cough, Zion Williamson, cough.
So without further ado, here are my five teams to watch/ bet on for the upcoming season, along with their odds to win it all:
Denver Nuggets (+475, bet $10 to win $57.50 total)
Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray are now champions, and they’ll say all the right things about winning again. But in the past five years, we’ve had five different champions, ushering in an era of parity.
They’ll probably lose Bruce Brown in free agency as he’ll get paid, but otherwise, their other top seven players are expected back.
Denver was a healthy team this season, with their core five starters all playing between 62 and 76 games, with much of that rest coming late in the season in preparation for the postseason.
With picks No. 37 and 40 in the NBA Draft, the Nuggets will probably stash one player overseas and attempt to draft a “veteran” college player who can come in and immediately provide playoff minutes, the way Christian Braun did this season.
Denver will be a force once again next season, with the big question being how they will play as the hunted vs. being the hunter.
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Boston Celtics (+550, bet $10 to win $65 total)
My pick to beat the Nuggets at the start of the playoffs folded badly against Miami, losing the first three games before forcing Game 7.
Arguably the best roster in the league could be in flux this offseason, depending on what happens with Jaylen Brown’s supermax contract.
They’ll lose Grant Williams to free agency. Still, we’re talking about bringing back a core that has five trips to the Eastern Conference finals in seven years, with two losses coming to LeBron James‘ Cavaliers and two coming against Jimmy Butler’s Heat.
Selling your Boston stock would be a mistake, as this was one of the best teams in the league over the past two years. They’re a couple of small tweaks away from a title.
Los Angeles Lakers (+1200, bet $10 to win $130 total)
The Lakers are a team built for the playoffs with a healthy LeBron and Anthony Davis, but the question is whether those two can play enough in the regular season to get there.
If they want to keep Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves – and they should – they’ll really only have one more big move to make, which could be guard Fred VanVleet.
You’re throwing a dart on the Lakers by not knowing what the roster will look like, but betting on the greatest player in the sport’s history is never a bad move.
At 12-1, this team is definitely worth a sprinkle.
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Philadelphia 76ers (+1300, bet $10 to win $140 total)
No team upgraded more at coach than Philly, which moved on from coach Doc Rivers and replaced him with Nick Nurse.
If you believe James Harden will return, then a trio of Harden, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will be formidable – they had Boston beat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals before a late collapse.
Of course, if you bet the Sixers and Harden leaves, and they don’t replace him with someone in the Damian Lillard stratosphere, you’ll need a miracle.
Sacramento Kings (+5000, bet $10 to win $510 total)
If you’re looking for a team outside the top five to make a leap into the upper crust, consider the Kings, who we nailed as being a playoff team last year. They’ll let Harrison Barnes walk in free agency, and how they spend that cap space will determine if they can go from 48 wins and a first-round exit to the conference finals.
Could Khris Middleton, Jerami Grant or Kyle Kuzma head to the Kings and give them more offense?
They will be a legit contender next season if they get one more piece.
So who are you throwing some money on to win it all next season? Stay tuned to FOX Sports for all the updates on the shifting NBA title odds.
Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, “Coming Up Winners,” in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.
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