With squads in both the Eastern and Western conferences improved from 2023-2024, odds remain close on all sportsbooks for which will play for the title come next summer.
For general managers in the NBA, the offseason is about finding ways to improve its team to put each in the best situation to make a run not only for the postseason, but for the championship every year.
This recent offseason saw a flurry of notable moves, including former Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George cast aside the duo of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden for potentially brighter seas with Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The New York Knicks made a trade with cross-town rival, the Brooklyn Nets, to bring versatile forward Mikal Bridges to Madison Square Garden and reunite with Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte Divincenzo.
Across the way in the Western conference, sharpshooter Klay Thomspon left the team that drafted him, the Golden State Warriors, in favor of the reigning conference champion Dallas Mavericks. Golden State will still be led by the likes of Stephen Curry, fresh off helping the US win Gold in Paris, and multi-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Draymond Green.
The Sacramento Kings also made a big signing in the hopes of making it back to the playoffs, swapping out team leader Harrison Barnes for Demar Derozan, known for his mid-range scoring capabilities. Franchises such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns mainly kept things status quo, choosing to believe that the superstars each has built around will prove to be enough for a championship run.
The Boston Celtics also kept its roster intact, which should come as no surprise to fans after watching Boston generate a combined record of 80-21 throughout the regular season and playoffs en route to the franchise’s 18th NBA championship. Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics will be a force to reckon with in the Eastern conference for years to come, especially with incredible depth in the form of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and one of the most underrated players in the NBA, Derrick White.
Boston rewarded White and Holiday for their efforts in securing the title, each signing a lucrative extension worth over $100m in total money. With the efforts made by New York and Philadelphia, the Celtics will have to hope its core is enough to match the improvements made by the other top teams in its conference.
On William Hill, Boston is still favored to return to the Finals with odds of +140 to win the Eastern conference, while the 76ers and Knicks are tied for second at +375. The Milwaukee Bucks are close behind the three leaders at +650, but present much larger question marks heading into the 2024-2025 season, especially surrounding star players Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. After both were forced to miss much or all of the team’s first round series against the Indiana Pacers, the Bucks will be looking to the basketball gods to keep its duo healthy for the regular season and playoffs this year.
Indiana is tied with the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers to win the East at +2200, each remaining as an intriguing team heading into the new season but most likely not strong enough to get to the Finals. The Pacers are coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, but were swept by Boston after point guard Tyrese Haiiburton was forced to miss time with injury.
While Indiana could prove to be better than most believe, the franchise needs more time to allow Haliburton and his teammates gain playoff experience and be better prepared for deep playoff runs in the future. Orlando and Cleveland each have ascending superstars in Paolo Banchero and Donovan Mitchell, respectively, but do not possess the necessary depth talent to support its young stars at this moment.
The Oklahoma City Thunder lead the Western conference in odds on William Hill, coming in at +290 after making offseason additions in the forms of guard Alex Caruso and center Isaiah Hartenstein. Caruso and Hartenstein should help to alleviate the problems Oklahoma City had in defending quicker guards, such as Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs, and rebounding. As the team continues to watch the ascension of star point guard Shai Gilgeous-ALexander, center Chet Holmgren and forward Jalen Williams, the Thunder should be geared up to challenge for the Western Conference not just this upcoming season, but for many years to come.
Behind Oklahoma City are the 2022-2023 champions, the Denver Nuggets, once again led by center Nikola Jokic who will be looking to win his fourth Most Valuable Player award in five years. The Nuggets have odds of +450 to win the conference, but are in a worse position to do so heading into 2024-2025 than it has been the prior two seasons. The team watched as three-point specialist Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left for Orlando, and replaced him by signing one of the worst three-point shooters in Russell Westbrook. Westbrook also needs the ball in his hands to be an effective player, but the Nuggets offense is best served keeping the ball in the hands of Jokic and point guard Jamal Murray.
The Timberwolves and Mavericks, which squared off in the Western Conference Finals last season, didn’t make any major additions outside of Thompson joining the Mavericks and will look to the development of superstars Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic for continued success this season. Many around the league have been waiting for Doncic to fully breakout and win his first MVP while helping Dallas win a championship, which he nearly accomplished last season after the Mavericks lost to Boston in five games. Doncic did not win the MVP, but is one of the leading candidates to do so this season and help Dallas make another run at the title.
Minnesota and Edwards made noise by eliminating Denver in the second round of the playoffs, but seemingly ran out of gas against Dallas in the Conference Finals. Edwards came into his own during the 2023-2024 playoffs and will hope to lead the Timberwolves to the franchise’s first championship, having experienced ultimate success with the US Olympic team this summer in Paris. While veteran contenders such as the Suns (+1000), Lakers (+1400) and Warriors (+1800) are all capable of making a run at the Finals, especially led by notable players like Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Curry, the teams listed above in the Western Conference are better-positioned in 2024-2025.
Squads in the Western conference with potential but need time to build chemistry, much like the Memphis Grizzlies (+1500) and New Orleans Pelicans (+2200), could be surprise contenders this season, but will need better form from the likes of Ja Morant and Zion Williamson if those dreams are to become a reality.
