The 2024-25 NBA Season tips off on Tuesday in America, and oh what a terrific season it should be.
The field is as open and balanced as it has ever been. There are no clear favorites to win the 2024-25 NBA Finals. In fact, there aren't any clear favorites to win either conference and make the Finals. We should see a truly competitive season from Opening Night all the way through the championship parade.
We've shared our favorite NBA futures bets below. Click through one of our links to try a new sportsbook, tail our picks, and win while you watch this season's action from start-to-finish.
2025 NBA Finals Betting Tips & Predictions
Who Will Be NBA Champions This Season?
Currently priced at $4.00 at Bet365, the Boston Celtics are rightful favorites to repeat as NBA Champions. They return their entire starting lineup, as well as their top four players off the bench. They're a known commodity - and a strong one at that.
But there's a LOT of basketball that will be played between now and the NBA Finals in June. Injuries will happen, roles will change, and trades will be made. We won't fault you for backing Boston to raise championship banner #19 this time next year, but we think there's betting value to be found elsewhere.
Here are our predictions and betting tips for who will win the NBA Finals and be crowned champions in 2025.
Philadelphia 76ers, $9.00
When healthy, 76ers' star trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey are just as good as any team entering this season. (Yes, even the Celtics.) The offseason additions of Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and Caleb Martin, plus the re-signings of Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry, mean depth will be a strength as well.
Conversely, the team's weakness is the same as it has been since the 76ers drafted Embiid in 2014: health.
Injuries can't be reliably predicted though, and at full strength this team is arguably the NBA's best on paper. If they can make it to May in one piece (literally), this might be the year Philadelphia finally breaks its decades-long championship drought. At 10:1 odds, it's the first flutter we'll take for this year's NBA Championship winners.
Philadelphia 76ers to Win NBA Finals
$9.00
Dallas Mavericks, $11
We wrote this one up in our preview of Australian Players In The NBA.
Like the Celtics, the Mavs made it to last year's NBA Finals. Also like the Celtics, the Mavs return the vast majority of their rotation - including the elite duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, as well as their fearsome frontcourt of Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, and Dereck Lively II.
But unlike Boston, Dallas made a few moves this offseason. Klay Thompson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Quentin Grimes and Naji Marshall all signed as free agents, and all are expected to be immediate contributors in the Mavericks rotation.
There are legitimate concerns that Klay is well past his prime. Personally, I think he is. But I also don't think that will matter in the grand scheme of things. He's part of a larger, comprehensive cast of role players brought in for the purpose of supporting Doncic and Irving. I think it all adds up to be more than enough for another deep playoff push and potential NBA Championship title run.
Dallas Mavericks to Win NBA Finals
$11
2025 NBA Championship Predictions - Also Consider:
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Oklahoma City Thunder, $8.00
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Cleveland Cavaliers, $41 (Longshot)
2025 NBA MVP Betting Tips & Predictions
Who Will Be NBA MVP This Season?
In a perfect world, the Most Valuable Player would be given to the athlete who is exactly that - more valuable to his team than any other player is to their own respective team. That's not always how it works, though. We often get stuck with the best player on the best team, regardless of how their stats stack up to the other candidate's.
Using this "ideal" criteria, here are our picks for who will win NBA Most Valuable Player for this upcoming 2024-25 NBA season.
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks $4.40
I'm not sure Doncic's 28.9 / 9.5 / 8.1 stat line last season gets enough credit. The 25-year-old was on the cusp of averaging a 30-point triple-double.
Only two players in history have averaged a triple-double over the course of an entire season: Russell Westbrook (4x) and Oscar Robertson (2x). Both players also had one season in which they averaged 30+ points per game on top of the triple-double. Both were named MVP in each end of these respective seasons.
Regardless of whether or not Doncic wholly clears the 30-point triple-double plateau, the Slovenian already is in rare air. Even the smallest of steps forward should put him on the podium as this year's NBA MVP winner.
Luka Doncic to Win MVP
$4.40
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves $13
With Karl-Anthony Towns traded to New York, Ant is now THE man in Minnesota. The former #1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has measurably improved in each of his first four seasons in the league. His 27.6 / 7.0 / 6.5 stat line from last season would be MVP-worthy in another era, and his defence - while hard to measure outside of more advanced metrics - is nothing short of elite.
He's inarguably one of the very best two-way players in the NBA. If he and the Timberwolves both put together another terrific season, Ant will be one of the top contenders to be named 2025 NBA MVP.
Anthony Edwards to Win MVP
$13
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers $17
During the 2021-22 season, Joel Embiid played the most games (68) of his career.
At the end of the 2021-22 season, Joel Embiid was named the league's Most Valuable Player.
We said it earlier, and we'll say it again: if healthy, Embiid and the 76ers are a force that few can match. That's a mighty big "if," though - and it might be getting even bigger.
Recent reports suggest that Embiid might sit out the second legs of back-to-backs throughout the season. While this aggressive of a maintenance plan might pay dividends for the team's title aspirations, it will do no favours for any MVP arguments.
Fun fact: last year, Philadelphia had a .795 win percentage with Embiid on the court. They had a .372 win percentage without him.
That's the literal definition of a Most Valuable Player.
Joel Embiid to Win MVP
$17
2025 NBA MVP Predictions - Also Consider:
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Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks $9
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Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs $21
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Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors $41 - LONGSHOT
NBA Futures: Other Awards & Betting Tips
NBA Most Improved Player: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs $7.00
Wemby's expected sophomore-season breakout could be at a scale never seen before. Despite his rookie status and a strict minutes cap, the 20-year-old averaged 21.4 / 10.6 / 3.9 in only 29.1 minutes per game.
That's before we mention the 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals he averaged per game as well. These are Defensive Player Of The Year-calibre numbers. And from a rookie. On a minutes restriction.
Going from "super rookie" to "super star" absolutely qualifies as an "improvement" as far as this award is concerned. That's the type of leap we expect, and the type of bet we'll gladly back at these odds.
Wembanyama to Win Most Improved Player
$7.00
2025 NBA Most Improved Player Predictions - Also Consider:
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Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder (+1000)
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Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors (+1100)
NBA Rookie Of The Year: Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks $8.00
It might not sound best-bet-worthy to predict that the #1 overall draft pick will be named 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year, but here we are. Risacher's odds currently sit at a very distant second behind those of Memphis Grizzlies centre Zach Edey (+290), the frontrunner.
This one boils down to opportunity as much as talent. Atlanta has a lot of question marks, and Risacher is expected to be heavily relied upon. If he ends up getting consistent minutes over the course of the entire season, he should have the stats to support a Rookie of the Year bid.
If Risascher is indeed ROTY, he would be the third straight #1 overall pick to win the award and the 18th all-time. It's the type of precedent that makes you wonder why his implied probability is so low - and also what makes it worth the punt.
Risacher to Win Rookie of the Year
$8.00
