At around 11:30amET on Friday, DraftKings had the Philadelphia 76ers as +1000 to win the NBA Finals, just behind the New York Knicks. About an hour later, after the news dropped that LeBron James was signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Futures Odds moved to +900.
At 1:45pmET, the odds have remained the same, but expect the Sixers’ odds to improve slightly over the weekend. At this point, Oklahoma City (+270) and San Antonio (+270) are both co-favorites to win the 2026-27 NBA Finals, though the Thunder are +150 to win the Western Conference, while the Spurs are +165. In the East, the Knicks are still a slight favorite at +330, while Philly is +350, followed by Boston (+550) and Detroit (+850).
James likely chose the Sixers, who finished a disappointing 7th in the East last season (45-37), due to their talent. VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, and, if healthy, Joel Embiid, are a dynamic foursome. But the key for James and the books was the addition of Jaylen Brown from Boston. Brown is coming off a career season with 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
James still has some gas left in the tank at 41. Last season, he averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games for the Lakers. Los Angeles, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, is the sixth favorite in the West at +2000.
There are still questions for Philadelphia and it starts at center with 32-year old Embiid. The talented seven-footer has played in just 96 games combined in his last three seasons. Yet, despite chronic knee problems, he’s a dominant player, averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds last season.
Someone will have to sacrifice stats and usage rate to make this team a championship contender. The Eastern Conference is also no joke with New York retaining most of their players from their first title team in 53 years. Boston (+550 to win East) loses Brown, but gains Paul George. They also get a healthy Jayson Tatum back. Detroit had the best record in the East (+850) last season and added John Collins and Isaiah Joe to improve the shooting.
Even Toronto (+900), Cleveland (+1000), Miami (+1100) and Indiana (+1600) can make some waves because they have made huge additions. The Raptors, if the Kawhi Leonard trade is complete, will have one of the best defensive teams in the league. Indiana gets star point guard Tyrese Haliburton back from an Achilles injury. The Cavs did very little, but they have Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
Then there’s Miami. They were one of the favorites to land James and might end up with another less appealing aging player in free agent DeMar DeRozan. The combination of Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokoumpo up front will put them near the top of the East.
There are also specials you can wager on, including LeBron James to average 18+ points per game in the regular season (-160), though I’d wait until the weekend to see some of the other specials available and search for other sportsbooks to try and find the best value.
(odds from DraftKings)
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