The Boston Celtics' trade of star Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers is the latest offseason blockbuster to send sportsbooks scrambling to adjust their NBA futures.
The Celtics were in the mix to land Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks late last month, but when the Greek Freak landed in Miami instead, the Heat's odds of winning the 2026-27 NBA title shortened from +3000 to +1800. With the Celtics deciding to hold onto Brown at the time, their odds held steady at +650 at BetMGM.
That
all changed after news broke Wednesday that Boston reversed course and traded Brown to division rival Philadelphia in exchange for aging veteran Paul George and a package of draft picks. The Celtics' title odds immediately plummeted to +1400 while their odds of winning the Eastern Conference went from +260 to +450.
Conversely, the 76ers went from +6600 long shots to win the title next season to +2000 after acquiring Brown. BetMGM reported that 35% of all bets and 40% of all money wagered on next year's champion has backed Philadelphia since the trade.
The 76ers also went from +2000 to +700 to win the Eastern Conference, with 54% of the bets and 68% of the money backing them. The reigning champion New York Knicks are the Eastern Conference favorites at +325, followed by the Celtics at +450 and then the 76ers ahead of the Detroit Pistons at +750.
The Los Angeles Lakers also made a flurry of moves Tuesday, led by the acquisition of center Walker Kessler from Utah. Los Angeles went from +4000 to +3000 to win the NBA title and from +2200 to +1600 to win the Western Conference, where they remain behind Oklahoma City and San Antonio at +150, Minnesota at +1200 and Denver at +1300.
Another significant shift saw the Toronto Raptors' title odds shorten all the way to +2200 by agreeing to a deal earlier this week that will bring Kawhi Leonard back to the franchise.
2026-27 NBA TITLE ODDS*
Team | Opening Odds | Last Week | Wednesday | Current
Oklahoma City Thunder (+260), (+260), (+260), (+260)
San Antonio Spurs (+270), (+260), (+260), (+260)
New York Knicks (+700), (+750), (+800), (+900)
Boston Celtics (+700), (+650), (+700), (+1400)
Philadelphia 76ers (+6000), (+6000), (+6600), (+2000)
Toronto Raptors (+15000), (+12500), (+2200), (+2200)
Miami Heat (+3500), (+1800), (+2200), (+2500)
Detroit Pistons (+3300), (+2500), (+2500), (+2500)
Denver Nuggets (+2000), (+2500), (+2500), (+2500)
Minnesota Timberwolves (+2500), (+3000), (+2200), (+2500)
Golden State Warriors (+6600), (+6000), (+3000), (+3000)
Cleveland Cavaliers (+3300), (+4000), (+3000), (+3000)
Los Angeles Lakers (+2500), (+2500), (+4000), (+3000)
Indiana Pacers (+3000), (+4000), (+4000), (+4000)
Houston Rockets (+6600), (+6000), (+6000), (+6000)
Atlanta Hawks (+10000), (+8000), (+8000), (+8000)
Portland Trail Blazers (+8000), (+10000), (+8000), (+8000)
Orlando Magic, (+5000), (+8000), (+8000), (+8000)
Charlotte Hornets (+10000), (+8000), (+12500), (+12500)
Dallas Mavericks (+8000), (+15000), (+20000), (+20000)
Utah Jazz (+15000), (+25000), (+15000), (+20000)
Washington Wizards (+15000), (+20000), (+20000), (+20000)
Milwaukee Bucks (+25000), (+30000), (+50000), (+50000)
Chicago Bulls (+75000), (+75000), (+75000), (+75000)
Brooklyn Nets (+100000), (+50000), (+75000), (+75000)
Phoenix Suns (+8000), (+15000), (+12500), (+12500)
Los Angeles Clippers (+6600), (+10000), (+20000), (+50000)
New Orleans Pelicans (+25000), (+50000), (+50000), (+50000)
Memphis Grizzlies (+50000), (+50000), (+75000), (+75000)
Sacramento Kings (+75000), (+75000), (+100000), (+100000)
The next big seismic move in the NBA futures is likely to come with LeBron James' decision on where he will play next season.
The Warriors have been backed by the most title bets (15.7%) and money (12.5%) following reports that James might be considering linking up with Stephen Curry in Golden State. However, several teams are reportedly in the running for James, with the other two most popular title futures backing the 76ers at 8.8% and 9.4%, respectively, and the Cleveland Cavaliers with 6.8% and 8.9% of the action.
While the book reported the Warriors being backed by the highest percentage of total title bets, the Thunder remain supported by the most total money at 32.0%.
--Field Level Media
