(RADIO.COM Sports) With the NBA season upon us, some may be trying to get their futures bets in.
The association has been historically dominated by the top of the league. Typically, teams priced inside the top five are the ones contending for a title when the calendar flips to the summer months. This season may be a little different with the shortened schedule, the abridged offseason and the variable that is COVID-19.
While the Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to repeat as NBA champions at +270, there are several teams jockeying for position behind them, with three others listed at odds shorter than +1000 in the Bucks, Nets and Clippers.
Here are a few title bets that stick out at the current numbers with odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Brooklyn Nets (+600)
Full disclosure: I'm on this bet and am a big Brooklyn Net fan, but there's analysis to this as well.
The Nets boast the deepest roster in the league with Caris LeVert likely coming off the bench to man what's being referred to as a Manu Ginobili-esque role from new coach Steve Nash. LeVert was one of the breakout stars of the NBA bubble this past summer, but this handicap comes down to the Nets' two star players.
Kevin Durant sat out more than 500 days to rehab his torn Achilles, but the early returns have been overwhelmingly positive. While his explosiveness may be diminished just a bit following a traumatic injury, he still has the ability to rise and fire over anyone on the floor.
Kyrie Irving has gone through his fair share of health issues as well as mood swings, but alongside his good friend Durant, the two can hopefully find zen and keep their performance on the court at its peak.
The Eastern Conference has formidable opponents, namely the Bucks and 76ers, with the Heat, Celtics and Raptors all vying for position as well. However, when right, this Nets team is the most complete roster in the league and may put up some of the best offensive numbers in the history of the sport. At 6/1, these odds seem low. In a potential East Finals matchup with the Bucks, the Nets would have the depth to outlast Milwaukee and match up nicely with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the starting five.
The Nets are being priced behind the Bucks because we haven't seen the team in action much, but Brooklyn has the more talented roster and this number won’t last long.
Denver Nuggets (+1600)
The Nuggets made a surprising Western Conference Finals appearance last season, but if you look deeper into this roster, it shouldn’t be all that surprising.
This roster is loaded with talent top to bottom and centered around its two stars in the 25-year-old Nikola Jokic and the 23-year-old Jamal Murray. In the offseason, the Nuggets added some wing depth in R.J. Hampton and replaced valuable stretch four Jerami Grant with JaMychal Green.
Denver was without Will Barton for the length of the bubble and had a hobbled Gary Harris for much of the postseason. Those two at full strength will give the Nuggets some necessary wings as the team continues to work on the emerging third star of the team, Michael Porter Jr. His defense is still a work in progress, but the upside for Porter is through the roof. With a silky stroke and great length, Porter can be a devastating scorer alongside Jokic and Murray.
If Porter takes the next step, the Nuggets will be a steal at this price.
Philadelphia 76ers (+2200)
There are a lot of ways this Sixer team can go. There's no denying the talent of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons individually. The two haven't fit like a glove together just yet with Simmons’ inability to shoot from the perimeter and also because they've always been juggling injuries, one of which cost Simmons the postseason in 2020.
Both stars are healthy now, and the organization has reloaded around them. The team brought in championship-winning coach Doc Rivers after his own murky postseason run with the Los Angeles Clippers and signed former Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey to run the club. Morey instantly upgraded the shooting around Embiid and Simmons by bringing in Seth Curry and Danny Green, as well as drafting guard Tyrese Maxey and deadeye shooter Isaiah Joe.
There's the potential that the Sixers swing a deal centered around Simmons for Rocket star guard James Harden, which would subsequently bring the Sixers’ odds to win the title down towards 12/1 in my opinion.
While the Sixers may get an upgrade in Harden, let’s stick to the current roster. There's no denying the talent. In an Eastern Conference that could give way to another new NBA Finals entrant, the Sixers fit the bill. If Embiid is right, he's the best big man in the league, a two-way force who will be flanked by a potential Defensive Player of the Year in Ben Simmons.
At over 20/1, I’d take a stab on the Sixers if you’re looking further down the odds sheet.