The Denver Nuggets are NBA champions for the first time after beating the Miami Heat, 94-89, in Game 5 Monday night. While the win is still fresh and the celebration has only just begun for Denver, oddsmakers are already looking ahead to next season.
Although we're a year away from crowning next season's champion, Caesars Sportsbook has posted the odds for all 30 teams to win the 2024 NBA Finals. Unsurprisingly, the Nuggets sit atop the title odds to repeat as champions.
Here's a look at the current odds to win the 2024 NBA championship.
2023-24 NBA champion odds
| Team | Title Odds |
|---|---|
Denver Nuggets | +475 |
+575 | |
+700 | |
+800 | |
+1100 | |
+1100 | |
+1200 | |
+1600 | |
Miami Heat | +1800 |
+2200 | |
+2200 | |
+2500 | |
+3000 | |
+3000 | |
+4000 | |
+5500 | |
+5500 | |
+6500 | |
+6500 | |
+9000 | |
+9000 | |
+10000 | |
+12500 | |
+12500 | |
+15000 | |
+15000 | |
+15000 | |
+20000 | |
+25000 | |
+60000 |
The Nuggets certainly have the talent to win back-to-back titles, so their placement makes sense. So too does the ranking of the Celtics, who fell in the Eastern Conference finals. Boston stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7. While they couldn't complete the comeback against the Heat, a core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will always have this team near the top of a list of contenders. Despite losing in the NBA Finals last year and falling in the round prior to that this year, Vegas clearly still believes that right now the Celtics are the best bet to make it out of the Eastern Conference next year.
Oddsmakers also believe that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks will have a bounce-back season after shockingly losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Heat as the No. 1 seed this year. Milwaukee fired head coach Mike Budenholzer and recently hired Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, so perhaps the change in philosophy will have the Bucks playing into June next year.
After the Bucks are the Phoenix Suns at +800. The Suns also brought in a new head coach after losing in the second around -- again -- this time to the Nuggets. Monty Williams was shown the door and Phoenix brought in Frank Vogel, who coached the Lakers to a championship in 2020. With a core of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Phoenix certainly has the nucleus to make a playoff run next year, but questions remain about the depth, what the team plans to do with Chris Paul, who the team is reportedly planning on waiving, and Deandre Ayton.
The Lakers and Warriors are tied at +1100, a proper spot for two teams with veteran stars who you can never count out when it comes to winning a title. Los Angeles revived its season this year and made it to the conference finals after being on the outside of the playoff picture for most of the season. The Warriors fell to the Lakers in the second round, but as we saw with their championship last year, this team can always figure it out to go on a title run.
If you're wondering about the Heat, who are still alive in the NBA Finals, their currently at +1800, which could be seen as disrespectful given what Miami has proven during this unlikely playoff run. But the Nuggets have also been incredibly overpowering in the Finals, so unless the Heat make a major move this offseason they could still be seen as overlooked heading into next season.
With the NBA Draft and free agency still to come this summer, these odds are likely to jump around depending on what teams do in the coming months. But as of right now, the Nuggets look like the superior team in the NBA.
