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The dust has just about settled on the 2024 NBA season, with the Boston Celtics being crowned the new champions for the first time since 2008.
A 4-1 series win over the Dallas Mavericks ensured they became the most successful team in NBA history, moving ahead of the LA Lakers and onto 18 championships. But there will be a whole host of new storylines and narratives next season, and there will be big competition once again.
So who will come out on top after a long, grueling campaign? We take a look at the favorites to win the 2025 chip and will provide you with our best free NBA betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash.
| NBA Futures 2025 |  |  |  |
| Boston Celtics | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +650 | +850 | +875 |
| Denver Nuggets | +800 | +800 | +850 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +800 | +850 | +775 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +850 | +1000 | +1000 |
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NBA 2024/25 season information
- Regular Season: October 2024 – April 2025
- NBA Cup: November 2024 – December 2025
- Play-In Tournament: April 2025
- Playoffs: May 2025 – June 2025
- NBA Finals: June 2025
NBA Championship Futures 2025
Below you’ll find a list of the favorites to win the NBA Championship in the 2024/25 season.
Boston Celtics – (+300)
It shouldn’t be a shock to anyone to see the Celtics sitting as the clear favorites to be crowned next year’s NBA champs after their tremendous campaign in 2023/24.
Boston dominated the 2024 NBA Finals and looked unstoppable in the playoffs with a 16-3 record, following on from a regular season where they finished with a league-best 64-18 record.
The team is set to bring back all of its franchise cornerstones and most important contributors, too. Jayson Tatum and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown are the faces of the franchise and will return to the team next season with support from Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis.
Boston also added Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman with the final pick of the first round of the draft, and his 3-point shooting should fit right in with the way the roster play basketball.
The value isn’t the greatest considering how volatile a season can be in the NBA, but barring anything dramatic or unexpected Boston are once again the team to beat and they will be in the mix next season for sure.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Philadelphia 76ers – (+850)
Not many people were picking the Philadelphia 76ers to be successful when projecting the 2024/25 season, but now Paul George is set to arrive in Philly and people are re-evaluating their picks.
The 76ers are an interesting foil with a dominant two-way center and two elite shot-creators in the backcourt. The biggest question, as is always the case with this group, is their health status. It’s been an evergreen concern for main man Joel Embiid throughout his career, but it’s also an issue for George, whose 74 games last year were by far his most in a season since 2018-19.
He’s now entering his age-34 season after logging heavy minutes his entire career, and it may be that this is his final chance at going hard to win a championship.
Buddy Hield, Robert Covington and Paul Reed give the roster some good depth too and if everything breaks right for the 76ers, this team clearly has the roster talent to make a deep run in the East and even win it all.
But their reliance on players who have a history of injury issues could come back to bite them deep in the season, and it’s probably best to avoid them in that case.
Oklahoma City Thunder – (+875)
The Thunder’s offseason has been rather underwhelming, with their biggest signing likely to be the three-year, $87 million deal for center Isaiah Hartenstein.
But when your roster already has talent such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished second in MVP voting last year and fifth the year before, you don’t need to do too much in the free agency or trade markets.
He’s surrounded by a young core of up-and-coming playmakers and a tonne of draft picks that OKC could use to land another star alongside SGA if the right opportunity arises.
That type of blockbuster trade could come this summer, or at the deadline, or it may not come at all. That uncertainty makes Oklahoma a real sleeping giant and a real dark horse in the title race in the West. At +875 there’s good value early, but as it stands they’re relying too heavily on SGA to deliver the goods and get them their first NBA title since 1979.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
Denver Nuggets – (+850)
The Nuggets missed their chance to win back-to-back titles after falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 playoffs, but when you have three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in your roster you always have a chance of success.
He’s one of only nine players in NBA history to win at least three MVP awards, and the Nuggets are set to retain the vast majority of their rotation which is built around getting the best out of the 29-year-old Serbian.
Along with Jokic, the Nuggets have Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon all locked in for at least another season. And while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is on his way to Florida to play for the Orlando Magic, Reggie Jackson has activated his player option and is set to return.
That gives head coach Michael Malone the most important pieces from a team that went 57-25 last season and have had great success in recent years. They simply can’t be ruled out and at +850 there is terrific value in backing them at this stage.
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