The Celtics are the NBA championship favorites at SI Sportsbook, slightly ahead of last year’s champion Warriors.
NBA training camps open across the league Tuesday and betting lines are already available for the Oct. 18 opening night doubleheader.
Basketball is oh-so close to being back.
It’s been a rather eventful offseason, even by the NBA’s theatrical standards, with plenty of trades and transactions and, in some cases, lack thereof, that had outsized impacts on the 2023 championship race.
Perhaps most importantly, Kevin Durant is still in Brooklyn, buoying the Nets’ title hopes. Donovan Mitchell ended up in Cleveland, not New York as many originally thought—himself included. The Knicks did succeed in their pursuit of Jalen Brunson, though. The Timberwolves reset the trade market in a monster deal that brought Rudy Gobert to Minnesota. Earlier in the offseason the Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray and the Clippers signed John Wall.
In non-player news, Celtics coach Ime Udoka was suspended one year for violating team policies following reports of an improper consensual relationship with a female member of the team’s staff. Udoka led Boston to the Finals in his first year at the helm last season and assistant Joe Mazzulla takes over as interim coach.
The Celtics (+500) have the best odds to win the 2022-23 title at SI Sportsbook. Here’s where the entire league stands, from Boston and Golden State down to the teams with their minds already on the ping pong balls that could land them French phenom Victor Wembanyama in next year’s draft.
Bet on the NBA at SI Sportsbook
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2022-23 NBA Championship Odds
Celtics +500
Warriors +600
Bucks +650
Clippers +700
Nets +750
Suns +800
Lakers +1400
Heat +1400
76ers +1400
Nuggets +1800
Mavericks +2000
Grizzlies +2000
Cavaliers +3300
Timberwolves +3300
Raptors +4000
Pelicans +4000
Hawks +4500
Bulls +6000
Trail Blazers +8000
Knicks +10000
Hornets +15000
Jazz +15000
Wizards +30000
Pacers +30000
Kings +40000
Spurs +40000
Pistons +50000
Magic +50000
Rockets +50000
Thunder +50000
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The Celtics return their starting five from a roster that held a 2-1 Finals lead over the Warriors. Jayson Tatum, fresh off the first All-NBA First Team selection, is approaching his prime, as is Jaylen Brown, who was dangled in trade rumors. Defensive stalwart Robert Williams III underwent knee surgery last week and will be out eight to 12 weeks, putting added pressure on 36-year-old Al Horford.
Boston’s biggest offseason upgrade came via trade: Malcolm Brogdon was brought in to back up Marcus Smart, play defense, and, most importantly for this turnover-happy team, take care of the ball. To no surprise, even with a first-time head coach for the second season in a row, the C’s (+275) are the East favorite.
Golden State didn’t retain its entire championship roster, but the big names—Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole—all returned. As long as the Big Three and coach Steve Kerr are together, the Warriors (+600) have a shot at another ring. They’ve represented the West in the Finals six of the last eight seasons and are the favorites (+300) to return.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks (+650) are the East’s biggest looming threat. Milwaukee lost to Boston in seven games in the semifinals with Khris Middleton (knee) out for the series and was unsuccessful in its title defense. Though the Bucks didn’t improve much this offseason, just getting Middleton back with Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday makes them a yearly contender.
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After the top three, there’s a bit more projection to the next tier: the Clippers, Nets, Suns.
Los Angeles (+700) missed the playoffs last year as Kawhi Leonard missed the season and Paul George missed huge chunks of it. Wall hasn’t been the model of health in his career, but he’s a solid addition to one of the NBA’s deeper rosters.
Brooklyn (+750) has one playoff series win in the last four years, but a Durant-Kyrie Irving-Ben Simmons Big Three at least has the feel of a contender, even if availability for one reason or another hasn’t been easy to come by with the trio.
And then there’s the Suns (+800), who actually broke through in 2021. But Phoenix’s epic flameout against the Mavericks, weird standoff with Deandre Ayton and reliance on 37-year-old Chris Paul makes them difficult to bank on.
There’s a steep dropoff to the next tier of teams—the Lakers, Heat, 76ers are all tied at +1400 odds—and a smaller drop to the next group—Nuggets (+1800), Mavericks (+2000) and Grizzlies (+2000). Each team has a star or stars (LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Ja Morant) it can bank on but not as complete a roster as the upper-echelon contenders.
Beyond those top 12, the teams worth monitoring are the Cavaliers (+3300), Timberwolves (+3300), Pelicans (+4000) and Trail Blazers (+8000). There are even more questions about their postseason viability, but offseason additions, or in New Orleans’ case, the return of Zion Williamson, could propel each team to contention in their respective conferences.
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