As the 2024/25 NBA season begins, it has become fairly clear that the consensus pick for the NBA Championship is still the Boston Celtics. The 18-time champions are clear favorites to take 19th place in June. And for good reason: The Celtics bring back to the roster every player who contributed to last season’s dominant season.
Of course, it’s not a given that the Celtics will repeat. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks have all been cited as potential spoilers for Boston’s pursuit of the 19-year-old. Their odds suggest that even sportsbooks feel they have potential.
However, I think the sportsbooks may be a bit wrong for some teams. We’re not saying they will definitely win the NBA Championship, but we feel like their odds are too high for a team with true playoff ambitions. Let’s take a look at five teams that can defy the long odds, starting with the true championship contenders.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves are +1000 at current prices on DraftKings. NBA Odds To win this whole season. Is that so? Who knows? But this is a very good team that made some smart moves in the offseason. With 56 wins, the Wolves have been decent throughout the playoffs. Yes, it was a disappointment against the Mavs in the Western Conference Finals, but there’s an argument to be made that Minnesota got the better part of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade by acquiring Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. There’s an MVP-caliber star on the rise in Anthony Edwards. They are absolutely in frame and in our opinion the odds should be much shorter.
memphis grizzlies
56 wins in 2021/22. 51 wins in 2022/23. 27 wins in 2023/24. Last season was a vicious one for the Grizzlies, but it was one that featured their worst injury problems of all time. Only two players started more than 40 games the entire season, with key players like Derrick Rose, Marcus Smart and Ja Morant making 36 starts between them. Only recorded. If the Grizzlies stay healthy, they’ll be back in the mix, and their +3000 odds of winning an NBA Championship seem too high for a team with a ceiling.
LA Lakers
The Lakers’ preferred starting five had a 75% winning percentage last season. Yes, Lebron is pushing 40 and oldest active player Despite being in the NBA, he and his teammates have enough to pull one out of the bag in the 2024/25 season. Look, it would be a minor miracle for the Lakers to defy +4000 odds and win it all. But it’s not just them going deep into the playoffs.
orlando magic
This is a really interesting team with +6500 odds to win an improbable NBA Championship. Again, we don’t think they’re ready yet, but that’s a long shot for a team on the rise. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope bolsters a roster that is already young and brimming with potential, while Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero feel like they can continue on track as future stars. It’s too early to talk about a championship, but we’ll rule out a breakout season like the Oklahoma City Thunder to put it on the map.
cleveland cavaliers
Many experts believe we’re all sleeping on the Cavs this year. Do we agree with them? Although not entirely, there is some logic to the argument. Essentially the argument is that a new manager has been appointed, Kenny Atkinson replacing JB Bickerstaff, and the fact that several of the roster are entering their prime, at least in terms of age. Again, odds of +6000 suggest that sportsbooks believe a championship is out of the question, but the Cavs could be a surprise package in the Eastern Conference this season.
