2024 NBA Championship Winner Odds, Favorites, and Predictions

The calendar has turned to October, and along with pumpkin spice and spooky season being here, the start of the NBA regular season is now on the horizon.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup, which took place in August and September, helped generate some excitement with the likes of Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Franz Wagner showing off on the international stage.

But a blockbuster trade has generated even more excitement ahead of the preseason, which will start on Sunday, October 8, with the Utah Jazz taking on the Los Angeles Clippers in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Lillard Blockbuster Alters NBA Championship Picture

James Harden has yet to be granted his wish to leave yet another franchise behind, but the Portland Trail Blazers finally found a deal that they liked enough to meet Damian Lillard’s desire to depart for greener pastures.

At one point, it appeared to be inevitable that Lillard would end up in Miami, his preferred destination.

He will indeed play in Miami this season, but it won’t be with the Heat. Instead, he will be there as a visitor on November 28 when he, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Milwaukee Bucks are in town.

Last season, the Bucks posted the best record in the league but fell in the first round to the Heat, who went on to reach the NBA Finals.

In response, the franchise parted ways with coach Mike Budenholzer and hired former NBA player and assistant coach Adrian Griffin.

Now, Griffin will enter his first season as a head coach with a Big Three of Giannis, Lillard, and Khris Middleton, who re-signed with Milwaukee in the offseason.

To create their new Big Three, the Bucks said goodbye to Jrue Holiday, a key piece of their championship-winning team in 2021. Holiday, fresh off of being named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for the third time, was shifted to the Blazers in a three-team deal that also involved the Phoenix Suns.

Breaking Down the Damian Lillard Trade

• Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Damian Lillard (Blazers)
• Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Deandre Ayton (Suns), Toumani Camara (Suns), Jrue Holiday (Bucks), 2029 1^st-round NBA Draft pick (Bucks), 2028 and 2030 1^st-round NBA Draft pick swaps (Bucks)
• Suns Receive: Grayson Allen (Bucks), Nassir Little (Blazers), Keon Johnson (Blazers), Jusuf Nurkic (Blazers)

However, Holiday wasn’t a Blazer for long.

On Sunday, he was shipped back across the country to the Boston Celtics, who have made significant personnel changes after falling short in the playoffs yet again.

How do these moves affect the latest 2024 NBA title odds? When this piece was last updated in late August, the Celtics and NBA champion Denver Nuggets were at the top of the heap ahead of the Bucks and Suns.

That quartet remains the same, but it’s now the Bucks and Celtics out in front ahead of the Nuggets and Suns.

Odds to Win the 2024 NBA Championship

Odds are via BetUS as of Sunday, August 27, 2023.

• Boston Celtics +450
• Milwaukee Bucks +450
• Denver Nuggets +500
• Phoenix Suns +550
• Golden State Warriors +1200
• Los Angeles Lakers +1200
• Philadelphia 76ers +1600
• Los Angeles Clippers +1800
• Cleveland Cavaliers +2500
• Dallas Mavericks +2500
• Miami Heat +2500
• Memphis Grizzlies +2800
• New Orleans Pelicans +4000
• Sacramento Kings +4000
• New York Knicks +5000
• Minnesota Timberwolves +7000
• Oklahoma City Thunder +7000
• Atlanta Hawks +8000
• Brooklyn Nets +8000
• Toronto Raptors +10000
• Chicago Bulls +15000
• Portland Trail Blazers +15000
• Houston Rockets +25000
• Indiana Pacers +25000
• Orlando Magic +25000
• San Antonio Spurs +25000
• Utah Jazz +25000
• Charlotte Hornets +50000
• Detroit Pistons +50000
• Washington Wizards +50000

2024 NBA Championship Favorites

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics

The Celtics both blew a golden opportunity and nearly made history in last season’s Eastern Conference finals, coming back from a 3-0 deficit against the Miami Heat but then laying an ostrich egg at home after Jayson Tatum was injured early in Game 7.

No team in the NBA may have as wide of a gap between their best and their worst as the Celtics. That series against the Heat is a prime example.

For Boston to take the next step and win a championship, that gap must decrease, and their worst can’t continue to burrow through to the surface in important moments.

How Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown fare will still go a long way in determining the Celtics’ fate this season, but the supporting cast around them has been overhauled.

Gone are Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams, with Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis highlighting the new additions.

The pieces are certainly in place for Boston to make an NBA championship run. Will they deliver? If they don’t, coach Joe Mazzulla’s job security will likely be in question.

Milwaukee Bucks

After their early exit at the hands of the Heat, Mike Budenholzer was shown the door, two seasons after leading Milwaukee to a long-awaited title.

Instead of going for an experienced head coach, the Bucks went for Griffin, who started his coaching career in Milwaukee before stops in Chicago, Orlando, Oklahoma City, and Toronto.

Will that move pay off?

Until the Lillard trade, no major moves were made to add to or subtract from a roster that won 58 games last season, but a major move didn’t necessarily need to be made unless it was one like the one that they did make.

Holiday, one of the best defenders in the NBA, will be missed. But you don’t pass up the chance to add Lillard, one of the league’s premier scorers and clutch performers.

Don’t expect things to be smooth sailing from the start, but being in a situation in which he can finally achieve the team success that has eluded him to date should only bring out Lillard’s best at the business end of the season.

Western Conference

Denver Nuggets

After finally winning their first NBA title, don’t expect the Nuggets to go anywhere, provided Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray stay healthy.

Murray’s return to action after missing the back end of the 2020-21 season and all of the following season was what Denver needed to go from having a limited ceiling with Jokic as Mr. Everything to being a championship-caliber team. And after he averaged 26.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 7.1 APG and made a run at going 50/40/90 in the playoffs, Murray’s best may be yet to come.

If Michael Porter Jr., who missed 20 games in the regular season but played all 20 games in the playoffs, can avoid the injury bug and make the leap he is capable, the sky will remain the limit for some time to come for the reigning champs, even with other contenders making major moves.

Phoenix Suns

Trading for Kevin Durant didn’t produce the desired result, as the Suns were booted in the second round by the Nuggets.

That brought about big changes after the season. Monty Williams was fired and replaced by former Pacers and Lakers coach Frank Vogel, and Phoenix’s new Big Three consists of KD, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

That trio will get a lot of buckets, but will it be able to win in May and June?

Recent NBA Championship Winners and Results

• 2023: Denver Nuggets 4-1 Miami Heat
• 2022: Golden State Warriors 4-2 Boston Celtics
• 2021: Milwaukee Bucks 4-2 Phoenix Suns
• 2020: Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 Miami Heat
• 2019: Toronto Raptors 4-2 Golden State Warriors
• 2018: Golden State Warriors 4-0 Cleveland Cavaliers
• 2017: Golden State Warriors 4-1 Cleveland Cavaliers
• 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers 4-3 Golden State Warriors
• 2015: Golden State Warriors 4-2 Cleveland Cavaliers
• 2014: San Antonio Spurs 4-1 Miami Heat
• 2013: Miami Heat 4-3 San Antonio Spurs
• 2012: Miami Heat 4-1 Oklahoma City Thunder
• 2011: Dallas Mavericks 4-2 Miami Heat
• 2010: Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Boston Celtics
• 2009: Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Orlando Magic
• 2008: Boston Celtics 4-2 Los Angeles Lakers
• 2007: San Antonio Spurs 4-0 Cleveland Cavaliers
• 2006: Miami Heat 4-2 Dallas Mavericks
• 2005: San Antonio Spurs 4-3 Detroit Pistons
• 2004: Detroit Pistons 4-1 Los Angeles Lakers

How and Where to Bet on NBA Championship Odds

Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of NBA odds throughout the year.

In addition to being able to bet on 2024 NBA championship odds, you can make daily NBA picks on games all season long.

Also, you can bet on the NBA All-Star Game and the major awards like NBA MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, and more at most reputable sports betting sites.

Along with BetUS, there are plenty of sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for NBA betting. Here are several books that we have reviewed and highly recommend:

• BetOnline
• Bookmaker
• Bovada
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.