- The Miami Heat’s +1400 odds to win the NBA Finals could net a big profit at the end of the season.
- The Denver Nuggets see +1800 long odds to win the NBA Finals despite recent MVP trends.
- Sportsbooks are low on the Philadelphia 76ers but there is value in their +1500 odds to win.
MIAMI – NBA Finals futures betting could net a lot of profit this season. Many potential championship teams have long odds early at online sportsbooks.
Bettors looking for early value on select teams should look to bet on the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, or the Denver Nuggets.
2022-2023 NBA Championship Winner
Miami Heat +1400
Miami is coming off of a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals where they were within a possession from winning a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics and advancing to the NBA Finals.
Miami’s long odds could come from their lack of offseason moves, including the loss of PJ Tucker. However, there is potential for the Heat to make a big move before training camp still.
Miami has several draft picks and tradable pieces in Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson that makes them a threat to sign Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell, two all-star caliber players who have requested trades.
Miami was even on KD’s list of teams that he wanted to be traded to when he first requested a trade.
The only players that are off limits for trade are Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo according to team officials. A tandem of Butler, Durant, and Bam is instantly a top contender in the East.
Additionally, even should Miami not get KD as trade talks stall or Donovan Mitchell as the Utah Jazz increase their asking price, Miami is still refining their roster for next season.
Victor Oladipo and the Heat have agreed on a one-year, $11M deal, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/Xkv58hzy4o
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 30, 2022
Miami resigned Victor Oladipo who was a major scorer off the bench for them in the playoffs, averaging 12.4 PPG on 47.9% from the field and 41.7% from behind the arc.
Long odds on Miami winning this year could net major profit, but bettors should jump on the odds before a major trade happens and odds shift.
Philadelphia 76ers +1500
The 76ers long odds likely stem from the poor performance of star guard James Harden during the NBA playoffs. However, now is the time to buy low on Philly.
The 76ers will have another year of the Harden/Joel Embiid tandem that was statistically a pick and roll nightmare matchup for opponents.
Joel Embiid And James Harden When On The Court
- 122.5 Offensive Rating
- 105.7 Defensive Rating
- 16.9 Net Rating
- 63.2 TS%
During the first five games this pair played together, the 76ers went 5-0 with Embiid averaging 32.6 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 3.4 APG on 50% shooting with Harden putting up 24.6 PPG, 12.4 APG, and 7.6 RPG on 59% shooting.
Additionally, during the offseason, the 76ers acquired PJ Tucker, a champion and proven defender with a personal defensive rating of 107.5 and who is coming off of a season where he shot 41.5% from behind the arc.
Philly also signed Daniel House Jr., Michael Foster Jr., and Trevelin Queen to add more depth to their roster.
On paper, the 76ers are poised to be a legitimate contender and bettors could cash in big by taking Philly’s gambling odds early.
Denver Nuggets +1800
The Denver Nuggets are an interesting team because there is no telling what this team can be next season as they have suffered from injuries for the past two years.
While star center Nikola Jokic has played historically great, notching two consecutive NBA league MVPs in the process, star point guard Jamal Murray and star forward Michael Porter Jr. have both been out of the lineup. With everyone coming back healthy, Denver is a scary sleeper team to win it all next season.
The most recent back-to-back MVPs winner Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, went on to win the NBA Championship right after winning his two MVPs.
In fact, both Giannis and Jokic lost in the playoffs during their back-to-back MVP seasons while losing to the eventual Conference Champions. In Giannis’ case, it was the 2019-2020 Miami Heat and Jokic lost to the 2021-2022 Golden State Warriors.
Nikola Jokic also just signed a Super Max contract to remain with the Nuggets. Giannis signed his Super Max the offseason before leading the Bucks to the championship as well. The parallels could continue and Jokic could lead Denver to their first title.
Additionally, not only are two young stars in Porter Jr. and Murray returning but the Nuggets also signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.
KCP is a career 3-and-D specialist coming off of a 39% three-point shooting season and a defensive rating of 109.9.
Ish Smith is a veteran point guard whose purpose will be to split minutes with Jamal Murray as the Nuggets ease him back into the game.
The Nuggets also signed Bruce Brown (9 PPG, 50.6% FG, 40.4% 3pt) which adds even more shooting and bench scoring depth and DeAndre Jordan (4.6 PPG, 59.3% FG, 5.8 RPG) who will play backup to Jokic, giving the star big man much needed rest during games.
While it might be too early to tell if the Nuggets are a legitimate contender as of yet, early bettors looking for the best value should jump on these odds.