The top of the 2023 NBA Championship market continues to play musical chairs.
When WynnBET initially released betting lines for the 2022-23 season, the Golden State Warriors were the favorites to win the title with a price of +550. That made sense, because the Warriors are the defending champs and have won four titles in the last eight years.
At the start of the offseason, superstar Kevin Durant requested to be traded from the Brooklyn Nets and put the Phoenix Suns as his preferred destination. So the WynnBET trading team made Phoenix the betting favorite, with a price of +550 to win its first title in franchise history.
Over the last few days, however, the Boston Celtics have become the frontrunner in this market after losing last year’s NBA Finals. This decision by our oddsmakers came after the Suns matched an offer for big man Deandre Ayton, which effectively took them out of the Durant sweepstakes.
Make better bets long term! Visit our betting tips page to learn more about online betting strategies and guides.
Boston Celtics Become New Title Favorites
After losing to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals in six games, Boston opened with a value of +750 to win it all next year. That number was good enough for second of the opening numbers, tied with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Celtics were bumped to +600 after some strong moves in the offseason. They traded for Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon and landed Danilo Gallinari. These moves seemingly helped the rich get richer, as the Celtics already had a deep squad led by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.
“I look at this team and I don’t see many weaknesses,” Grant Williams told Jay King of The Athletic. “Not only just defensively but also offensive creation and being able to make plays for one another. We have a lot of opportunities to play a lot of different lineups size-wise whether that’s big lineup, small lineup, shooting, athleticism. Those are a lot of different ways we can really have this team go and I feel like Ime (Udoka) is really going to do a phenomenal job with that.”
It also helps that the Celtics hit their stride at the end of last season. They went 51-31 on their way to finishing first in the Atlantic Division during Ime Udoka’s first season at the helm. According to CleaningTheGlass, Boston had the best defensive rating in the entire league and ranked 10th in offensive rating.
The Celtics started their postseason run by sweeping the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. They then won the final two games of a seven-game series to knock off the Milwaukee Bucks in the next round. Boston needed another seven-game series to best Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In addition, it doesn’t hurt that other teams fell down the betting board in this market. Since the Suns matched Ayton’s max offer, they won't be able to move him until at least Jan. 15 and the big man was expected to be involved in any trade packages to acquire Durant.
"With Phoenix deciding to match the offer sheet from the Pacers it almost eliminates any chance they can trade for Durant. This saw them drop down the board, but not too far because they have essentially the same roster as last season. The Celtics meanwhile have added veteran depth in Brogdon and Gallinari along with returning the same roster. This pushed them into current title favorites."
— WynnBET Trader Kyle Shields
Full 2022-23 NBA Championship Odds
Odds as of Tuesday, July 19:
Boston Celtics +600
Golden State Warriors +650
Los Angeles Clippers +650
Milwaukee Bucks +650
Phoenix Suns +700
Brooklyn Nets +1000
Los Angeles Lakers +1200
Miami Heat +1200
Philadelphia 76ers +1500
Denver Nuggets +2000
Memphis Grizzlies +2200
Dallas Mavericks +2300
Toronto Raptors +2500
Atlanta Hawks +4000
Minnesota Timberwolves +4000
New Orleans Pelicans +4000
Chicago Bulls +6000
Portland Trail Blazers +8000
Cleveland Cavaliers +10000
New York Knicks +10000
Charlotte Hornets +15000
Utah Jazz +15000
Washington Wizards +30000
Detroit Pistons +50000
Houston Rockets +50000
Indiana Pacers +50000
Oklahoma City Thunder +50000
Orlando Magic +50000
Sacramento Kings +50000
San Antonio Spurs +50000
List of Recent NBA Champions
2022: Golden State Warriors
2021: Milwaukee Bucks
2020: Los Angeles Lakers
2019: Toronto Raptors
2018: Golden State Warriors
2017: Golden State Warriors
2016: Cleveland Cavaliers
2015: Golden State Warriors
2014: San Antonio Spurs
2013: Miami Heat
2012: Miami Heat
2011: Dallas Mavericks
2010: Los Angeles Lakers
