Opening NBA title odds for 2023-24: Favourites, dark horses & sleepers to look out for

With the Denver Nuggets crowning themselves as NBA champions, we can already get a glimpse of the opening 2024 NBA title odds to try and figure out the big picture for the upcoming campaign.

Needless to say, a lot can happen, and plenty can change depending on free agency, injuries, trades, the NBA Draft, and even some luck.

Opening 2024 NBA title odds

Odds from BetRivers on June 27th.

One never knows what could happen in an NBA season. If not, just ask the eighth-seeded Miami Heat, who just made it all the way to the NBA Finals.

Then again, judging by the current status of some rosters, some rumors, and what may or may not happen, we’ve ranked the potential champions in three tiers: Inner-circle, Dark Horses, and Sleepers.

Inner-circle contenders

Celtics (+475)

The Boston Celtics have the third-shortest NBA futures odds after trading for Kristaps Porzingis. There’s no doubt that — at least on paper — they’ve put themselves in a better position to compete for a championship by adding a sharpshooting big and shot-blocker.

Nonetheless, they lost a lot when they gave Marcus Smart away. Besides his elite defense and ability to guard one through five and knock down big shots, Smart was their heart, soul, and most outspoken leader both on and off the floor.

Bucks (+550)

Following an unlucky and rather disappointing end to the season, the Milwaukee Bucks enter the year as one of the favorites for the 2024 NBA title, which should come as no surprise, especially if they manage to keep Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez on board.

The Bucks will be contenders for as long as Giannis Antetokounmpo is in town. He’s one of the best three players on Earth right now, and him getting hurt changed the whole course of their series versus the Miami Heat. Hopefully, that won’t be the case anymore.

Nuggets (+450)

The Denver Nuggets have a legit shot to join the short list of NBA dynasties. They have all of their top guys locked in for at least the next couple of years, so they should continue to be a top-four seed in the Western Conference for years to come.

There’s a chance that they won’t be able to retain Bruce Brown Jr. Even so, they still have Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon, and even a rising star like Christian Braun to lead the way.

Dark Horses

Warriors (+1000)

It’s crazy to see that the Golden State Warriors have +1000 odds of winning the whole thing. That’s even after adding Chris Paul, most likely because they still haven’t locked Draymond Green for the future, but that seems like a matter of time.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. will look to make the most of that newly-found financial flexibility to make some moves and add more depth. Having Chris Paul backing up Stephen Curry is a dream come true for Bay Area fans, even at this point in time.

Suns (+600)

Opening 2024 NBA title odds have the Phoenix Suns with the fourth-best odds to win the NBA championship, and that’s despite the fact that they only have four guys under contract. That’s what happens when those four guys are stars.

Deandre Ayton, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant will lead the way for Frank Vogel’s squad in 2023-24. Of course, it’ll be tough to fill in the roster with veteran minimum contracts, but who wouldn’t want to play with those stars? This number will move a lot in the next couple of months.

Sleepers

Heat (+1600)

The Miami Heat have been linked to multiple offseason trade candidates, yet they have failed over and over to make a splash. Pat Riley claimed that they might be forced to run it back with their current roster, and that’s not exactly what they wanted to hear.

Then again, this team proved that they could take almost anyone in a seven-game series. Jimmy Butler only cares about the playoffs, and Tyler Herro will be back to full strength to give them a steady 20+ points per game next season. They don’t have enough talent, but there’s no way to count them out after this playoff run.

Grizzlies (+2000)

The Memphis Grizzlies should have way shorter championship odds for 2023-24 NBA season. Most of this drop-off is most likely related to Ja Morant missing the first 25 games of the season because of his gun-related suspension, but adding Marcus Smart to the mix gives them a solid guy to back him up.

Moreover, for the first time in this era, they’ll actually have a guy who can hold them accountable and get in their faces when they’re talking more than they’re winning. He’s the only guy who could make Ja Morant stay in line and focus on what’s actually important, which is his basketball career.

Lakers (+1200)

The Los Angeles Lakers need to focus on securing most of their upcoming free agents and then adding a couple of pieces and that’s it. They were the second-best team in the league after last year’s trade deadline, so why change that worked? If anything, they just need to double down on it and add some more pieces around LeBron James.

James isn’t getting any younger, and Davis will never be the team’s go-to guy; that’s just not happening. Austin Reaves could take over as their third leading scorer, but they need to add some more size next to Davis to try and contain Nikola Jokic in the playoffs next season, which will obviously be way easier said than done.