Betting on NBA futures typically means betting on season-long events.
Team futures include betting on a team to make the playoffs, win their division, or win the NBA Finals. Player futures include betting on a player to win the scoring title, MVP, or a specific statistical milestone.
Futures bets are popular for every major sport, especially for NBA betting. You’ll find a lot of NBA futures odds posted at every NBA betting site. See below for current NBA futures odds and more on your futures betting options.
Current NBA futures odds
Our odds feed has the latest NBA futures betting lines from the best NBA betting sites. Click any odds to go to the online sportsbook, open a new account, and start betting on NBA futures. See here for current NBA game lines.
How to bet on NBA futures
If you’re ready to start betting on NBA futures, the first step is to open an account at one of the top sports betting sites. The process is easy and free.
Below are the steps for opening a new online sportsbook account.
- Choose your sportsbook: Every sportsbook has pros and cons, so we always recommend that you research which one best fits your needs. When you find the sportsbook you’re looking for, follow the link from our site to qualify for the best sports betting promos for new customers.
- Sign-up: At the top of the sportsbook homepage you chose, you’ll find a button to either sign up or register for a new account. Click this, and you’ll be taken to a form where you’ll need to provide personal information such as your name, phone number, Social Security number, address, and more.
- Accept the terms and conditions: Before completing the registration process, you must accept the sportsbook’s terms and conditions. We always recommend you read through these before accepting them.
- Claim your bonus: New customers typically receive a welcome bonus for signing up for a new account with a sportsbook. This is when you can claim your bonus or, if needed, enter your bonus code. Please note that if you need a bonus code, it is available on our site.
- Make a deposit: Funding your bankroll at your sportsbook starts with your initial deposit. At legal sportsbooks, you’ll have many options for funding your account.
- Start betting: That’s it. You’re ready to start making bets with your sportsbook. You’ll find NBA futures bets under the basketball tab and then under NBA.
See more: Best NBA betting promos
What are NBA futures odds?
Futures bets are exactly what their name implies: predicting the outcome of a future event.
When it comes to the NBA, you can make various futures bets. Some futures odds you can bet on include:
- NBA Finals odds
- Eastern and Western Conference winner odds
- NBA MVP odds
- NBA win totals odds
- NBA Rookie of the Year odds
NBA futures can be wagered on nearly year-round, and the earlier you bet, the more favorable the odds will be. That’s because even the oddsmakers know that early futures bets are more of a guessing game than an educated choice.
Oddsmakers use updated information, such as player and team news, injuries, draft results, and more, to adjust the odds as that data becomes available. You, too, can wait until you’ve gathered enough information for an educated guess, but the odds will continue to change the closer you get to the outcome of the futures bet.
It comes down to risk vs. reward for you, the bettor. Do you bet early and try to maximize your return, or do you sacrifice some potential profit for better chances of making a correct prediction?
When futures lines are first released, the odds are the most favorable, but that’s due to a lack of concrete information and data for the oddsmakers to use to make their own predictions.
The longer you wait, the more likely you are to gather more information, which the oddsmakers will also be using, and the more likely the odds will shift to reflect the potential outcome better.
Every bettor who wagers in the futures market has to decide whether they are comfortable making the higher-risk bet or want to wait for more information and less favorable odds. It’s one of the many risk vs. reward scenarios in sports betting.
There is no “right” answer to building a strategy for NBA futures bets. It’s all up to the bettor on how they want to proceed.
Conference championship futures
There’s only one way to get to the NBA Finals, and that’s through the Eastern and Western Conference Championships. The teams that win the conference titles then play in a best-of-seven series in the NBA Finals for a chance to become the NBA champions.
Below, we look at each conference, including the most recent conference champions from the Eastern and Western Conferences.
Eastern Conference odds
The Eastern Conference boasts some of the most notable teams in the NBA. That said, during the past decade, the Western Conference has brought home the lion’s share of the NBA championships.
Will that change in the next decade? Will the Eastern Conference become dominant like it was in the 1990s, or will the Western Conference continue to hold the edge in the Finals as it has since the start of the century?
There is plenty of talent in the East, and the top teams appear ready to earn a trip to the NBA Finals to become the next champions. Can you predict which team will take the top spot in the Eastern Conference?
Western Conference odds
Over the past decade, the Western Conference has dominated the NBA Finals, winning seven of the last 10 championships. Of those seven championships, the Golden State Warriors have four titles and were runners-up twice.
Golden State may not be as dominant as it once was, but you can’t count them or any other top Western Conference teams out of the running when it comes to making the NBA Finals or taking home the championship.
Can you guess which of the top teams in the West will win the conference for a shot at the title?
NBA Finals futures
Now that we’ve covered the Western and Eastern Conferences, it’s time to look closely at the NBA Finals futures.
The NBA Finals is where the two best teams in the NBA square off for a chance to lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and claim the right to the NBA crown.
The Finals are very popular with sports bettors, as well as fans across the globe, with an average of 11.64 million viewers tuning in to ABC to watch the 2023 championship series. Game 5 of that series, which featured the Denver Nuggets defeating the Miami Heat, drew a viewership of 13.08 million.
Betting NBA futures is just one of the many ways you can get involved with the NBA Finals, Here’s an example of futures odds for the NBA Finals.
Team odds
- Denver Nuggets +425
- Boston Celtics +500
- Phoenix Suns +650
- Milwaukee Bucks +800
- Miami Heat +850
- Golden State Warriors +1000
- Los Angeles Lakers +1200
As you can see by this example, the top teams in the two conferences are well represented, with the defending 2023 champions, the Denver Nuggets, starting as the favorites in the futures market.
These odds fluctuate based on new information, team performances, player injuries, and more. The closer you get to the regular season, the tighter the lines will become, and that will be the case throughout the year leading up to the postseason as well.
Tips for betting on NBA futures
Looking for some tips to give you an edge when betting on NBA futures? Here are four of our favorite tips for newcomers to NBA futures betting.
- Follow the draft: The NBA Draft can change the entire face of a franchise, so it’s important to keep tabs on who goes where. It’s also a good idea to keep up with which players find new homes in the league and which teams fill needs with trades and free agents.
- Stay in the loop: Keep up-to-date on news like injuries, suspensions, coaching changes, and other information that could influence how your team is playing.
- Look for the best odds: There’s no reason to stick with a single sportsbook. Use multiple accounts to give yourself the best possible odds and return on your wager.
- Bet responsibly: Don’t chase losses or try to recoup lost money by betting more. Set a budget and stick with it, no matter what.
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