2021 NBA Futures Odds Updated

There's been a major shakeup atop the odds board of NBA championship team futures in the last few weeks.  

With the 2021 regular season playing to a conclusion over the next two months (the season ends May 18th), now is a good time to take a look at the numbers and see if there are any standout values.

Brooklyn has become the odds-on favourite to win their first NBA title.  However, there doesn't appear to be much value to betting an unproven team that hasn't competed together yet in the post-season.  The Nets' odds price is currently listed at +450, which seems way overvalued.  Even though the Nets can boast a stellar lineup, their defensive woes could be problematic when facing teams that are equally as deep.  

The defending champion LA Lakers are similarly overvalued at +500.  One major gauntlet will be the packed Western Conference, where there are arguably five teams in serious contention to win the title (LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, and Phoenix Suns).  Whichever team comes out of the West will likely have to beat stiff competition in the semi-final round, the conference finals, and then the championship series.  For this reason alone, bettors should probably look to the Eastern Conference to find teams that might still be undervalued.

In this conversation, we have to lean towards the Milwaukee Bucks (+900) and the Philadelphia 76ers (+1400).  Those are bonfide championship contenders and if they rise to their potential, could certainly make a deep run in the summer.  Conversely, betting longshots doesn't usually pan out in NBA futures betting.  With 7-game series down the stretch, it's difficult to outmatched teams to win enough games to pull off upsets and advance in the playoffs.  There are exceptions, of course, but longshots happen in other sports more frequently than the NBA.

Here's the updated NBA Championship futures odds at SPREADS.CA