The 2022-23 season came to a close on Monday night with the Denver Nuggets and Finals MVP Nikola Jokic taking down the Miami Heat in five games in the NBA Finals.
Denver's win was historic – the first title in franchise history – and subsequently the Nuggets opened as the favorites to win the NBA Finals in the 2023-24 season.
That's pretty much standard practice, especially since Denver was the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in the 2022-23 season and showed that with a healthy Jamal Murray it is one of the best teams in the league night in and night out.
The last two times Murray has been healthy for a playoff run, Denver has at least made the Western Conference Finals, winning one title.
With Jokic leading the way, oddsmakers expect Denver to be right back in the title conversation, but there are a couple teams chasing the Nuggets.
The Boston Celtics (+550), Milwaukee Bucks (+650) and Phoenix Suns (+850) are all set at shorter than 10/1 odds to win it all.
For bettors, it may not be worth dropping a huge wager on a team just yet, as the offseason could certainly shake things up across the league. Not only that, but injuries can happen even when the season isn't going on (Klay Thompson prior to the 2020-21 campaign), so the futures market is far from a sure thing right after the end of a season.
Still, there is some value on the board for teams like the Los Angeles Clippers (+1700), Miami Heat (+2000) and others.
Here's a look at the full odds from DraftKings Sportsbook for the 2023-24 NBA champion:
Odds to win the NBA Finals next season
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
