2016-17 NBA Futures from the Westgate Superbook

2016-17 NBA Futures from the Westgate Superbook

Before the 2016 Conference Finals had even concluded, the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook released its odds on the 2017 NBA Championship. The Warriors were listed as the early favorite to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but they dropped from +150 to +250 after being defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.

Those odds shifted dramatically when Kevin Durant announced that he would be leaving Oklahoma City to sign with the Warriors. With a starting lineup that features four All-NBA caliber players, Golden State’s odds of winning the title jumped from +250 to -150 while the Thunder dropped from +800 to +3000.

#Warriors Props via @LVSuperBook

-150 to win 2017 title
-350 to win Western Conference
+300 to win at least 74 games
Over/Under 68.5 Wins

— David Solar (@TheDavidSolar) July 5, 2016

The table below examines the 2017 NBA championship futures throughout the year at the Westgate Superbook.

Kevin Durant wasn’t the only major free agent signing, with several prominent players signing massive deals with a new team. Al Horford signed a four-year, $113 million contract with the Boston Celtics, Dwight Howard signed a three-year, $70 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks and Chandler Parsons signed a four-year, $94 million contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Mavericks also signed Harrison Barnes to a four-year, $94 million contract.

Despite these major signings, the pre-season odds barely moved for these teams. The Celtics were already expected to be a major player in free agency, and their odds of winning the title actually dipped from 17/1 to 20/1 after they failed to sign Kevin Durant. The Hawks added Dwight Howard, but their odds of winning the championship plummeted from 25/1 to 60/1.

Oddsmakers seemed to consider it a foregone conclusion that the Warriors and Cavs would meet in the NBA Finals for a third straight season, however, it’s interesting to note the Cavs (-400) actually had better odds of reaching the Finals than the Warriors (-350). This speaks to the talent imbalance between conferences.

The tables below display the odds for all 30 NBA teams to win their conference and reach the NBA Finals.

Odds to win Eastern Conference

Odds to win Western Conference

The Warriors are coming off an NBA-record 73 wins during the regular season and added one of the best players in the league. They’re opened the season as the odds-on favorite (-15)0 to win the championship, with the field listed at +130. Since that time, their odds of winning the championship have improved from -150 to -200.

Bettors can track the latest odds, public betting trends, injuries and even futures by visiting our free NBA odds page.

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