2 Best Bets to Win the 2025-26 NBA Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder finally made it to the promised land, winning the 2024-25 NBA title in what was a tough shake for Tyrese Haliburton and the runner-up Indiana Pacers.

OKC is the seventh team to win a championship in as many years. The current-day NBA shows no mercy on so-called dynasties, as evidenced by next season's title odds. The Thunder may currently be favored to defend the banner, but teams around the league have already made moves to catapult them into the contention conversation. The NBA Draft, free agency, and potential offseason trades figure to shake things up even more.

On Day 1 of the offseason, what is the outlook for next year's NBA championship? Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA Finals odds and see what sticks out.

NBA Championship Odds for Next Season 2025-26

One of the league's biggest dominoes fell before the season came to a close.

The Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in the hours leading up to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Houston's current core of Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet, and a series of young guns certainly looks the part of a contender, but is the +800 pricing an overreaction? I'm not taking the bait just yet.

The Western Conference is a wagon. It's a conference where a 50-win season earns you a first-round playoff date with Nikola Jokic. With so many solid teams in the fold, I'll want to either back proven playoff rosters or chase value in the West. I don't know that Houston falls under either of those categories at +800 odds. There is a looming Giannis Antetokounmpo question -- Houston and the San Antonio Spurs are two West teams considered potential landing spots -- but attempting to predict a blockbuster trade isn't the best process when betting futures.

The Eastern Conference is an entirely different headache. When the team that was favored to win the conference (Boston Celtics) and the team that eventually won the conference (Indiana Pacers) in 2025 both see their stars go down with Achilles' injuries, things get pretty murky for the ensuing season. It's the main reason why the New York Knicks have the third-shortest Finals odds (+900). On one hand, the Knicks are an unproven and at times unserious bunch that currently lack a head coach and roster flexibility. But what if Boston opts to take a gap year in the wake of Jayson Tatum's injury, Indiana does the same re:Haliburton, and Giannis gets sent out West? Well, in that case, the Knicks would become the most experienced contender in the East, with teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons serving as the main roadblocks.

The Eastern Conference's outlook harbors on the Giannis question and Boston's decision-making this offseason. For those reasons, I currently don't see value in backing any team out of the East to win the 2025-26 NBA Finals. We can, however, check out a few teams in the West.

Best Best to Win the 2025-26 NBA Finals

Los Angeles Lakers (+1400)

We can't claim to know if a team will manage to make roster improvements this offseason. The one thing I feel pretty confident about? The Los Angeles Lakers won't be starting playoff games with Jaxson Hayes at the center spot next season.

The Luka Doncic trade was both shocking and exciting, but the Lakers never really stood a chance last postseason with a frontcourt comprised of Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Alex Len. They'll have a chance to truly build around Doncic and LeBron James this offseason.

Though Los Angeles likely doesn't have the assets nor the cap space to pull off any blockbuster, they will be able to improve at the forward/center position. Myles Turner, Nicolas Claxton, Robert Williams, and Walker Kessler are potential targets. Meanwhile, the likes of Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and Rui Hachimura hold (varying) value in the trade market.

A seemingly motivated Luka has already established himself as one of the very few players that can win a playoff series with little help. Add in LeBron and a startable big -- along with an exciting new ownership group -- and the Lakers could be primed to have shorter NBA Finals odds as we get closer to the 2025-26 season. This isn't to say you should get on the Luka and LeBron train. I'm not there yet. But if you're going to strike, now might not be a bad time to do so.

Dallas Mavericks (+3200)

Of the 21 teams that have longer than +1600 odds to win the NBA Finals next season, the Dallas Mavericks are the only long shot I'm willing to consider at this point in time.

The franchise became a laughingstock in the aftermath of the Doncic trade, but their roster as currently constructed is, in my eyes, lethal. Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Anthony Davis -- along with a few remaining rotation players from the 2024 Finals run -- check every postseason experience box one could ask for. Irving is currently recovering from an ACL tear and is expected to return midway through next season. Davis carries his own evergreen injury concerns. And I won't pretend that Thompson is at all vintage -- or even a viable starter -- at this point in his career.

But behind Irving and Thompson, the Mavs have PJ Washington, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, and Max Christie all under contract for next season. That three-and-D depth -- which has never been more important in the NBA than now -- is exciting. It certainly doesn't hurt to have bigs such as Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford around, and they offer AD the chance to play his preferred role at the four spot. The aforementioned assets could allow Dallas the chance to pick up a Jrue Holiday type at guard in the trade market, too.

Oh, and Dallas owns the number one overall pick for tomorrow night's NBA draft. The Mavericks plan to keep the pick to select highly-touted prospect Cooper Flagg.

It's a lot to ask Irving and AD for durability, but future me would consider a relatively healthy Dallas group one of the best teams in the league heading into next year's postseason. The Mavs may have a spoiled reputation, but the current roster and possibility for more is strong. I think these +3200 odds are an oversight.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.