Odds to win the 2021 NBA championship were out before the unprecedented 2020 NBA season wrapped inside the bubble, with the L.A. teams – the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers – at the top of the list.
The recently-crowned champs, the Lakers, top the oddsmakers’ picks to win the NBA title next season, set at +350 just ahead of the rival Clippers at +400 and the Milwaukee Bucks at +550.
But with the uncertainty of COVID-19 and its impact on the upcoming NBA season, there are plenty of value underdogs and sleeper picks to win the NBA Championship in 2021. These are our favorites:
Golden State Warriors +800
This is the trendy NBA Finals prediction (can we call an 8/1 team a sleeper?), with the Warriors having used the 2019-20 campaign as a rest stop before another run at a title. Golden State was without Klay Thompson for the entire year and got only five games from Stephen Curry. The team also limited Draymond Green while kicking the tires on some younger players and potential standouts/trade bait like Andrew Wiggins.
The Warriors hold the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and there’s plenty of speculation around what the organization will do with it. Could the Dubs deal that selection and a name like Wiggins for another superstar? Will the Warriors pick up a key role player in free agency? Or will Golden State grab the next face of the franchise with the No. 2 pick? We know one thing at least: Steph, Klay and Green are enough to challenge for the NBA title... when healthy.
Brooklyn Nets +1,100
The Nets may be another questionable "sleeper" but we'll take 11/1 in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving finally get to join forces in Brooklyn after KD missed all of 2019-20 recovering from an Achilles tear and Irving played just 20 games of disinterested basketball while nursing injuries. The Nets also made a splash on the sideline with the hire of former NBA MVP Steve Nash as their head coach.
Those three names will be the foundation for a franchise that got a great year from its supporting cast. Brooklyn qualified for the seeding schedule inside the bubble and made the postseason cut in the East, despite a lack of superstars as well as a long list of absent starters and important role players either opting out or sidelined with injuries. The big question for Nash in his first season in the BK is are there enough basketballs to go around?
Dallas Mavericks +2,500
Luka Doncic has separated himself from the rest of the NBA in quick work, emerging as a Top-5 superstar in the league with his incredible play in the 2019-20 season and more so during his gritty performances inside the bubble, most notably pushing the star-studded Clippers to the brink in the first round. Alone, he makes Dallas a dark horse contender in the West.
The Mavs have some OK talents supporting Doncic (Kristaps Porzingis is great when healthy) but it’s obvious Mark Cuban has to do more to avoid spoiling the prime of this unique talent. The 2020 free agent crop is void of any mega-stars but the 2021 free agency list is insane. Cuban doesn’t like to miss out on an opportunity, and Dallas could get out ahead of those bidding wars by scoring a trade between now and the deadline. A shot on the Mavericks at 25/1 is Shark Tank investment in Cuban going after it.
Where can I bet on NBA championship odds?
With the 2019-2020 season all wrapped up, most sportsbooks and casinos will have 2020-21 NBA Title odds posted. Check out the top sportsbooks in your region and see what they are offering for NBA futures odds.
