The 2026-27 NBA season tips off Tuesday and it brings a fresh slate of betting opportunities for basketball fans. From individual awards such as MVP and Rookie of the Year to predicting the eventual NBA champion, there are plenty of futures bets to consider early in the season.
So which bets offer the most value?
We asked our NBA betting experts André Snellings, Eric Moody, Eric Karabell, Jim McCormick and Steve Alexander to share their favorite futures bets for the 2026-27 season. From award contenders to teams they believe could make a championship run, here are the wagers they believe you should make -- and others you should avoid -- heading into the season.
Odds by DraftKings
and subject to change.
Bets to make
Minnesota Timberwolves over 51.5 regular season wins (+200)
Snellings: The Timberwolves have won 49 regular season games in each of the last two seasons since their big trade of Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle, but their team has always been imbalanced. While they had Anthony Edwards as a their primary offense producer, they have lacked a true team-offense creator at point guard. This offseason, they traded some of their big man depth and brought in a strong floor general in LaMelo Ball. Ball and Edwards are already showing strong chemistry, enough that if healthy I expect the Timberwolves to be significantly improved. This team's high-water mark was 56 wins, three seasons ago, but I think the current squad has an even higher ceiling and has a strong chance of surpassing 51.5 wins.
Cameron Boozer to win Rookie of the Year (+250)
Moody: Boozer averaged 22.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 4.1 APG at Duke, earning AP National Player of the Year honors. He might be the most NBA-ready player in this rookie class and couldn't have landed in a much better situation. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are gone, and Memphis should give Boozer plenty of opportunities right away. He also won't have to compete for touches with established stars like some of the other top rookies.
Indiana Pacers to win championship (35-1)
Alexander: I don't know if the Pacers are going to bounce back and compete for a title, but I do know that they'll have a healthy Tyrese Haliburton this season, along with a new center in the form of Ivica Zubac. They got to the Finals a couple years ago and couldn't hang with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but things have changed in the East and there's no reason that they can't hang with the rest of the conference. Are they realistically going to beat whoever comes out of the West (or even win the East)? I don't know, but I like the payout and I wouldn't put anything past Haliburton and Rick Carlisle.
Philadelphia 76ers longest winning streak over 7.5 games (-125)
McCormick: This unique play banks on this 76ers lineup coming together like Voltron for at least a few weeks this season. A stretch of indomitable play isn't unrealistic for this wildly talented core, especially when the roster is healthy and deep enough to maximize its collective potential. Philadelphia has the firepower to string together eight wins.
Domantas Sabonis rebounds leader (+900)
Karabell: The names among the expected rebounding leaderboard are legitimate, but perhaps everyone forgets that Domantas Sabonis led the league in boards for three consecutive seasons before last year. Sabonis hurt his knee early in the season and then the tanking Kings were in no hurry for any stars to return. Sabonis is healthy and ready to rebound, figuratively and literally. Don't be surprised when he leads the sport in rebounds again.
Bets to avoid
San Antonio Spurs (+270) or Oklahoma City Thunder (+270) to win the NBA Championship
Snellings: I'm avoiding either the Spurs or Thunder to win the NBA Championship. Both clearly have the ability to win but there are other strong candidates as well. With teams like the reigning champion Knicks (+900) and the new look 76ers (+900) such strong competition plus all that can happen during the marathon of the NBA season, neither the Spurs nor the Thunder are value picks to win at less than 3-to-1 odds.
Betting the Atlantic Division
McCormick: Pricing the Atlantic Division regular-season title is quite a feat. Avoiding such a tight division is a wise path, instead getting more granular with team totals or sticking with more predictable divisions. The Lakers, for instance, stand out as a quality play to win the Pacific at -155, while parsing which contender in the Atlantic between the Celtics, Knicks and 76ers proves too tight to find a rewarding angle.
Victor Wembanyama to win Defensive Player of the Year (-360)
Moody: Wembanyama is the best defensive player in basketball, but I can't justify betting on him at these odds. He led the NBA with 3.1 BPG last season and became the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner. However, he played just 64 games, and his injury history is difficult to ignore. Wembanyama could easily win the award again, but there's too much risk at that price for me.
Miami Heat over 45.5 wins (-120)
Karabell: Miami added the awesome Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the franchise moved quite a bit of young talent to acquire him. It's more than that, though. The Heat always seems to be content to merely sleepwalk through a regular season, failing to win as many as 46 games in three of the past four seasons and eight of 10. The East is loaded, and when Antetokounmpo sits, winning will be a problem.
Philadelphia 76ers to win the Championship (+900)
Alexander: I'm simply out on the Sixers in both gambling and fantasy. Can Tyrese Maxey be himself playing alongside LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe? Who knows? How many games will Embiid and James actually play in? If they both hit 50 games, it'd be miraculous. Sure, the payout would be nice, but I just think the chances of Philly holding it all together for an entire season are slim. I'm out.