SportsBetting3.com’s NBA futures odds guide explains everything you need to know about basketball futures bets. It explains what a NBA futures bet is and how to place a futures bet. This guide also includes the latest odds for the most popular NBA futures markets, plus the best sports betting sites where you can legally place bets in your jurisdiction.
NBA futures odds will update throughout the season, so be sure to bookmark this page and come back as the season progresses.
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Table of Contents
What are NBA Futures Bets?
A futures bet is placed on the outcome of a distant NBA event. Your bet wins if you chose the correct outcome. You may bet on more than one outcome at once, however the odds for each outcome will likely differ depending on each selection.
Popular NBA futures bets include odds to win the NBA Finals, Eastern and Western Conference winners, and each division winner. Additionally, sports betting sites will have odds to win player awards like the NBA MVP award.
You can place a futures bet up to any point before the actual event begins or the player award is announced. Odds will vary as the season progresses. A team with a strong winning record will gradually become a favorite to win their conference and possibly the NBA Finals. On the other hand, an underperforming player will gradually become a long shot underdog to win the NBA MVP award.
NBA futures odds offer sports bettors two opportunities. One, the chance to bet on a distant event with a potentially higher payoff than any single game bet. Two, insight into which teams or players are likely to come out on top by the end of the season. Whether you actually bet the future or not, the changing odds are a useful datapoint to sharpen your basketball handicapping as the season progresses.
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How NBA Futures Bets Win or Lose
Your futures bet wins if you select the correct outcome. The bet loses if you select the wrong outcome, or if the team, player, or result you selected is no longer eligible for the event. This often happens with NBA Finals or conference futures when a team is eliminated from the playoffs. It also happens with player awards when a player gets injured early in the season and can no longer compete against rivals.
What NBA Futures Odds Mean
Each possible NBA future outcome will have moneyline odds at American sportsbooks.
The most likely, or favorite outcome, will have a minus value. The minus value indicates how much you risk to win $100. -150 futures odds mean you risk $150 to win $100.
All other outcomes will have plus values. The plus value indicates how much you win if you risk $100. +800 futures odds mean you win $800 if you risk $100. Similarly, +5500 futures odds mean you win $5500 if you risk $100.
Some futures bets will not have a clear favorite. In this case, all odds will have plus values. The lowest value is considered the most likely, while the highest is considered the least likely.
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How NBA Futures are Graded
The sportsbook will grade the NBA futures bet when the event has officially passed.
In the case of a playoffs event like the NBA Championship, the bet will be graded when a winner is determined. Likewise, the sportsbook will grade a player award futures bet when the winning player is announced.
Some sportsbooks will mark your bet as a loss if your team, player, or selection is no longer viable. This happens when a team is eliminated from the playoffs and cannot win their division, conference, or the NBA Finals.
When Do NBA Futures Come Out?
NBA Futures bets typically come out as soon as the current season’s playoffs have concluded. That means you can expect to see next year’s NBA Finals futures within a week or two after the current year’s NBA Champion has been crowned.
Sports betting sites will release futures odds for conference and division winners 2-3 weeks after the odds to win the NBA Finals.
The final futures odds for the upcoming NBA basketball season will be published in August and September. These will include player awards, team performance futures, and any less popular futures bets that can’t be offered until oddsmakers have enough information to create a betting market.
NBA Futures Bet Example
|
Team |  BetMGM |
 BetRivers |
|---|---|---|
| Celtics | +140 Bet | +120 Bet |
| Nuggets | +260 Bet | +250 Bet |
| Clippers | +1300 Bet | +1200 Bet |
| Thunder | +1400 Bet | +1400 Bet |
| Bucks | +1600 Bet | +1600 Bet |
| Knicks | +1600 Bet | +1800 Bet |
| Timberwolves | +2000 Bet | +1800 Bet |
| Mavericks | +2000 Bet | +2000 Bet |
| Suns | +3000 Bet | +3000 Bet |
| Sixers | +3300 Bet | +3500 Bet |
| Cavaliers | +4000 Bet | +5000 Bet |
| Lakers | +5000 Bet | +4000 Bet |
| Pacers | +15000 Bet | +10000 Bet |
| Pelicans | +15000 Bet | +15000 Bet |
| Heat | +30000 Bet | +25000 Bet |
| Magic | +50000 Bet | +25000 Bet |
The following NBA futures bet example is for the odds to win the NBA Championship. The example table contains odds for the top four teams.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nuggets | +450 |
| Celtics | +550 |
| Bucks | +550 |
| Suns | +600 |
Sizing Up the Odds
Reviewing the table, no team has a minus value that would indicate it is a clear favorite to win the NBA Finals. Instead, the top four teams all have plus values, with the Denver Nuggets considered the mostly likely to win at +450 odds.
A $100 bet on Denver to win the NBA Finals would pay $450. The Boston Celtics trail the Nuggets at +550 odds. A $100 bet on the Celtics would pay $550. The same would be true for a bet on the Milwaukee Bucks, also listed at +550 odds.
The Phoenix Suns are less likely to win the NBA Finals based on the odds above. At +600, a $100 bet on Phoenix would pay $600 if the Suns win the NBA Championship.
Betting 2 or More Teams
Note that you could bet on two or more teams to win the NBA Championship. Though this strategy improves your chances of a winning wager, it will come at the cost of a higher upfront investment and potentially greater loss should none of your selections win.
For example, suppose you bet $10 on Denver to win $45, and $10 on Boston to win $55.
If Denver wins the NBA Championship, your net result would be $45 (Denver wins) – $10 (Boston loses) = $35.00. In this case, the $20 you risked returned $35, representing a 175% return ( ($35/$20) * 100).
If Boston wins the NBA Championship, your net result would be $55 (Boston wins) – $10 (Denver loses) = $45.00. Here the $20 you risked returned $45, producing a whopping 225% return ( ($45/$20) * 100). Pretty Good!
However, if the Milwaukee Bucks end up winning the NBA Championship, you’d lose both bets and take net a -$20 loss. With 30 teams in the NBA, and at least 5-6 likely contenders, futures bets offer the possibility for high returns if you’re willing to take a big risk.
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How to Bet NBA Futures
Time needed: 1 minute
How to place a NBA Futures bet
- Review odds for the NBA’s upcoming events
Review futures odds for the NBA’s upcoming events. Popular events include the NBA Championship, conference and division winners. Also review odds to win player awards.
- Each outcome has moneyline odds
Each outcome will have moneyline odds at American sports betting sites. Minus values indicate how much you risk to win $100. Plus values indicate how much you win if you risk $100.
- Make your selection and place your bet
Make one or more selections and bet your desired amount.
- You may place one or more futures bets on the same event
You can place multiple bets on the same event at once or at different times. Simply choose a different outcome and place another wager.
- Your bet wins if you picked the correct outcome
Your bet wins if you picked the correct outcome. Review your sportsbook’s rules to see when a futures bet can be cancelled.
NBA Futures Bets
The following are the most popular NBA futures bets. These bets are the most commonly placed by recreational and professional bettors alike. Use the odds to guide your handicapping throughout the season.
- NBA Finals
- Eastern Conference
- Western Conference
- NBA Regular Season MVP
- NBA ROY – Rookie of the Year
- NBA MIP – Most Improved Player
- NBA DPOY – Defensive Player of the Year
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When to Bet NBA Futures
There’s an art and science to betting NBA futures. The trick is to properly time your bet. You don’t want to bet too early without knowing much about how your team or player will perform. But you also don’t want to bet so late that your selection is an obvious winner with a small return. Consider the following before placing a futures bet:
- Do I have good data to backup the bet I’m making? – Don’t pick a team to win the NBA Finals unless they have a winning record and are likely to win throughout the playoffs. Review the team’s recent performances, standings, and stats.
- What does the rest of the schedule look like? – An underdog team that gets off to a surprisingly good start may just have an light early-season schedule. Check the rest of their season. If they’re up against powerhouse opponents, their record will take a quick turn for the worse and they might not be playoff contenders after all.
- Are key players healthy and will they remain in good health? – Though you can’t predict the future health of a particular player, you do know how they’ve fared in recent matchups. Keep tabs on injury reports, no matter how insignificant. This is particularly important for a team’s starting five and key substitute players. A player that gets injured late in the season will almost certainly fall out of contention for a an award, and may impact their team’s chances of progressing through the postseason.
Moderate Your Risk
For every person that wins a big bet on a longshot, there are dozens more that lose. Futures bets are inherently more risky than single-game wagers. Therefore, it’s best to bet on 1-3 selections with a reasonable chance of winning. You may also consider betting small amounts on longshots with higher payouts and larger amounts on likely winners with smaller payouts. This ensures your net result, no matter what happens, will at least produce a breakeven result or a small profit.
NBA Futures FAQs
A futures bet is placed on the outcome of a distant NBA event. Your bet wins if you chose the correct outcome. You may bet on more than one outcome at once, however the odds for each outcome will likely differ depending on each selection.
Minus values indicate how much you risk to win $100. Selections with a minus value are considered strong favorites. Plus values indicate how much you win if you risk $100. Selections with plus values are considered underdogs. A selection with the lowest plus odds value among a market with no minus value favorite would be considered a modest underdog to win.
Your futures bet wins if you select the correct outcome. The bet loses if you select the wrong outcome, or if the team, player, or result you selected is no longer eligible for the event.
The most popular NBA futures bet is the team to win the NBA Championship. Odds for each team to win the next NBA Championship will be released shortly after the current year’s NBA Finals winner has been crowned.
There’s an art and science to betting NBA futures. The trick is properly timing your bet. You don’t want to bet too early without knowing much about how your team or player will perform. But you also don’t want to bet so late that your selection is an obvious winner with a small return.
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NBA Betting Resources
- NBA Betting Guide – Learn how to bet on the NBA with point spreads, totals, moneylines, and exotic bets like parlays, teasers, prop bets and futures.
- NBA Betting Sites – Hoops there it is! Dive into our list of highly recommended NBA betting sites just in time for the next big game.
- NBA Odds – Latest odds for upcoming NBA matchups, including team NBA finals, conference, and division futures.
- NBA Prop Bets – Learn how to bet NBA props. We also have prop betting lines and odds for upcoming NBA matchups.
- NBA Underdogs – Review underdogs point spread and moneyline betting opportunities for upcoming NBA matchups.
- NBA Futures Odds – Review odds for popular NBA futures events, including the NBA Championship, Eastern and Western conference winners, division winners, regular season MVP award, and other player awards.
- NBA Win Total Odds – Review regular season win total lines and odds for each team. Remember to place you bet before each team’s first game of the regular season.
- Undefeated NBA Teams – See which teams are still undefeated in the current regular season.
- NBA Championship Betting – We explain the best bets for the NBA finals, plus you can see the latest NBA Finals futures.
- Eastern Conference Win Totals – Season win totals for every NBA Eastern Conference team.
- Western Conference Win Totals – Win totals for every Western Conference NBA team.
- Halftime Middling – Learn how to make a bet a halftime that can’t lose. We explain how halftime middling can work for NBA and college basketball games.
- Five-Game Rolling Average – Use a team’s five game rolling average stats to sharpen up your handicap analyses and making winning NBA bets.
- NBA Team Betting Odds – Latest odds for each NBA team, including upcoming matchups, futures, and season specials.