NBA Championship odds 2024: Celtics and Bucks early favorites

Our NBA Championship odds for the 2023-24 season are now live after the Denver Nuggets took out the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals.

Where are the defending champs in relation to other top-end contenders? What about the Miami Heat after their shocking run to the Finals?

A lot of this has changed with NBA free agency and trades mixing things up big time around the Association this past summer.

But for now, let’s look at the current NBA Championship odds following Denver’s closeout Game 5 win over Miami, via FanDuel.

NBA Championship odds 2024

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Boston Celtics: Fresh off losing to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston made some moves during the summer that changes the dynamics in a big way. Acquiring the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday provides this team with two other star players to team up with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The trade of stalwart Marcus Smart, among others, does create somewhat of a depth issues behind the big four.

Milwaukee Bucks: After boasting the best record in the NBA during the regular season, Milwaukee was on the receiving end of one of the biggest upsets in playoff history. Following said loss to Miami in the first round, the Bucks fired head coach Mike Budenholzer and replaced him with Adrian Griffin. It then went out there and acquired Damian Lillard in a blockbuster trade to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The team is obviously going all in. The pressure is on.

Phoenix Suns: Speaking of pressure, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant are going to be under a microscope in the desert this season. Their NBA Championship odds add another layer to this. The win-now move to acquire Bradley Beal in a trade with Washington adds another layer to this. Phoenix is in win-now mode with its future very much in question following the trades for KD and Beal over the past five months or so.

Denver Nuggets: There’s absolutely no reason to believe that Denver can’t repeat as NBA champions. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are all under contract for this season. Denver’s depth likely won’t be an issue, especially with 2022 first-round pick Christian Braun likely set to take on a larger role.

Los Angeles Lakers: Fresh off a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals, everything was up in the air for the Lakers heading into free agency. Instead, general manager Rob Pelinka was able to retain D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura while adding several veteran components on the cheap. Oh, and LeBron James is returning for another season in Southern California.

Golden State Warriors: As long as Stephen Curry is playing at an elite level, the Warriors’ NBA Championship odds are going to be right up there with other contenders. However, the Dubs find themselves in a vastly different situation than in years past. That includes longtime general manager Bob Myers moving on while picking up 12-time All-Star Chris Paul in a trade for Jordan Poole. It’ll be interesting to see how this dynamic plays out moving forward.

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Dallas Mavericks (+2500): It’s going to be all about how Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving mesh in their first full season together. From a talent standpoint, this is one of the best duos in the NBA. Whether that translates to team-wide success moving forward remains to be seen.

Los Angeles Clippers (+2700): Will Paul George and Kawhi Leonard stay healthy after so many injury-plagued seasons? Could the Clippers finally land James Harden in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers? These factors will play a role in the Clippers’ championship aspirations.

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Miami Heat (+3000): After a stirring run to the NBA Finals last season, the expectation was that Miami would bring in Damian Lillard in a blockbuster trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. That did not come to fruition. There are major issues behind Jimmy Butler on the roster. But we expect front office head Pat Riley to rectify that ahead of the NBA trade deadline.