The Preseason NBA Title Favorites for 2022-2023

By  //  July 29, 2022

The 2022/23 NBA season is just around the corner. The draft for the upcoming baseball season has already taken place, and teams are now preparing for their pre-season training.

On the other hand, gambling experts are looking at statistics and previous results to determine the winners of this year’s championship.

We explore the NBA Championship odds to decide which teams the bookmakers consider early favorites.

NBA Championship Odds
Team Odds
Boston Celtics +450
Milwaukee Bucks +600
Golden State Warriors +650
Los Angeles Clippers +650
Phoenix Suns +700

Boston Celtics Favored Heading Into Playoffs

The Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship in 2021-22, but there’s a new favorite for the 2022-23 championship. According to the recent NBA betting odds provided by Unibet, the Boston Celtics are now the +450 favorites to win the title, while the Golden State Warriors were initially favored but come in at +650 now. This is a direct result of their strategy in the NBA free agency.

The Celtics have been busy this summer trying to get better and deeper to compete in the 2022 NBA championship. Boston has made aggressive moves this summer to improve its roster. They have added veteran forward Danilo Gallinari and guard Malcolm Brogdon. The moves to acquire those players didn’t cost a single player who was projected to be a starter. Overall, Boston’s front office capped off a remarkable run of successful trades by acquiring talent at the trade deadline.

On the other hand, the Warriors have been inactive on the free market. The Golden State Warriors lost two rotation pieces this offseason when Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II departed, but they also added some help in the form of two draft picks and Donte DiVincenzo.

Contenders Nobody’s Talking About

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be a contender for the NBA title this season after a more disappointing season than the Nets. New head coach Darvin Ham is enthusiastic about Russell Westbrook and plans to use him more effectively than Frank Vogel did during last year’s playoff run. Anthony Davis is getting his fitness back, and he’s shooting again. Let’s not forget that there is also LeBron James, one of the best basketball players in the world.

Will this be enough to raise another flag? The future of the Lakers will depend on how they perform on the court. However, one positive for the team is that the contract of Luol Deng no longer burdens them.

The Clippers, who play their home games at Staples Center in Los Angeles, should be able to take advantage of a healthy Kawhi Leonard and finally look like the excellent team people expected in 2019. Lue has the team in some good form, and with the return of the Klaw, this squad could make some serious noise. If the Clippers have their full roster at the start of the postseason, they will be considered one of the favorites to win it all.

The Dallas Mavericks are an exciting team with a high ceiling this season, with odds at +2000. After a few weeks from the Western Conference Finals, they made a bold move by trading away some of their bench players to bring in big man Christian Wood – who averaged 17.9 points and 10 rebounds in the 2021-22 season. The acquisition of Tim Hardaway Jr. and the addition of big Woody to a team that finished among the last four last season without giving up much in return seems like a steal.

Moreover, this season, Luka Dončić helped lead his team deep into the playoffs, and if he continues to improve next season, he could help the Mavericks become an even more significant threat in the Western Conference.

Final Thoughts

Early favorites do not always turn out to be the eventual winners. There are a few teams at the top of the odds. However, there are also some surprises towards the bottom of the list with some teams who could be considered surprising championship contenders. It will undoubtedly be interesting to see how these odds change throughout the season.