NBA futures betting is betting on markets that are not to be imminently decided, but will be at the conclusion of the season. There are many different types of futures bets as they pertain to the NBA. Let’s discuss a few of the most prominent ones.
The beauty of futures bets are that they can typically be placed on something NBA-related at any point in the year. During the NBA season, player awards and team performance futures are bet on frequently, but even in the off-season, players and their free agency destinations and the NBA Draft can be wagered on.
Player Awards Futures
In the NBA, there are many major awards that fall into the futures betting category. These include Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Improved Player. Other major player awards futures include Rookie of the Year and NBA Draft futures.
Player Statistical Futures
Betting on statistical futures is a niche market, but one that can be extraordinarily fun to wager on. For NBA player statistical futures, bettors can wager on the end-of-season scoring champion at most major sportsbooks and a variety of other statistics.
Team Futures
Team futures are typically the division of futures betting that draws the most handle at sportsbooks with the NBA in particular. These types of bets include betting on the over or under for a team’s end-of-season win total, who will win a division or conference, and who will make the playoffs.
How do you bet on NBA futures?
Betting on NBA futures is an extremely simple process even though the market has one of the largest collections of potential futures bets available.
Every major sportsbook offers some sort of NBA futures betting, but some offer more extensive options that include markets like Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player, for example.
When searching through the NBA futures odds at a sportsbook, there will usually be player names listed with the NBA odds and you have a choice of who to bet on.
This is true for markets like Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year. Another interesting aspect of NBA futures betting is that you can use them together in parlays.
An example of a parlay for NBA futures betting would be to wager on Nikola Jokic to win MVP and Jaren Jackson Jr. to win the Defensive Player of the Year in the same bet slip.
You can also parlay between sports, meaning you can add both of these bet picks to a slip already containing one that has Shohei Ohtani to win the MLB’s American League MVP.
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The NBA season runs from mid-October through the NBA Finals that conclude in June with the playoffs starting in April. The most popular futures bets for the NBA are Team Finishes:
NBA Finals Champion
One of the most common markets for betting on NBA futures is to bet on the NBA Finals champion. This type of betting goes on throughout the season and odds are typically released up to one month prior to the start of the regular season. This is the market where you would take the Milwaukee Bucks or the Golden State Warriors to win it all.
Western Conference Champion
Following the NBA Finals champion, some bettors like to wager on who will win the NBA Western Conference Championship. There are only 15 teams in the Western Conference, so this makes it a tad easier to select who will win it as opposed to the NBA title. This is the market where you can bet on a team like the New Orleans Pelicans or Memphis Grizzlies to win the West.
Eastern Conference Champion
The market for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference are exactly the same. There are only 15 teams in the Eastern Conference and this is the market where you can bet on a team like the Miami Heat to win the conference.
Yes or No to Make Playoffs
Another popular market for NBA Futures betting is to wager on whether or not a team will or will not make the playoffs. It is important to note that the top sportsbooks turn this type of futures bet off once the season begins. This can provide valuable odds for many people who either believe in their team or believe in another team around the league to surprise.
Over or Under on Total Team Wins
The market of betting on the over or under for a team’s total wins is comparable to betting on them to make the playoffs or not. Usually, a sportsbook will assign a win total at the beginning of the season, acting as the expected win total. This type of betting normally shuts down at the start of the regular season.
Player Awards Futures Betting
Most Valuable Player
The most popular type of NBA futures bet on player awards is the Most Valuable Player market by a wide margin. With the amount of talent the NBA has, odds are usually hard to predict for individual players and some can provide immense value. This is the market where you would bet on top-tier players like Luka Doncic, LeBron James, or James Harden to be voted as the league’s MVP.
Rookie of the Year
Wagering on the Rookie of the Year can be tough considering there are many different aspects that go into it. Even the most talented players that come out of the NBA Draft can be outshined by lesser-known prospects if they are not afforded enough playing time. Additionally, injuries can always impact the market. Top picks in the NBA Draft always draw the worst odds in terms of value, but the back-end of the lottery provides a lot of it.
Defensive Player of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year voting is typically a process that can go in any direction, thus making it one of the least-popular markets for NBA Futures betting. This award can see dramatic odds shifts from one game to another and can turn what looks like a winning bet into a weak one.
Most Improved Player
Most Improved Player betting is a unique market that allows bettors to wager on who they believe will improve the most from the prior season to the current season. Typically, there are anywhere from a dozen to 30 different names that can be bet on in this market and they draw similar odds.
Sixth Man of the Year
Sixth Man of the Year is an award given out to the best bench player in the NBA each season. This can be hard to predict from a betting standpoint, however, considering that many players can move from the bench unit at the start of a season to being in the starting lineup, taking them out of consideration.
NBA 2023 Events Calendar
Date
Event
What is happening?
February 9
NBA Trade Deadline
NBA teams must finalize all trades by this date in order to be in compliance with the NBA rules.
February 17-19
NBA All-Star Weekend
The NBA All-Star Weekend includes the Slam Dunk Contest, Skills Challenge, and All-Star Game.
April 9
NBA regular season ends
The 2022-2023 NBA season reaches its conclusion as the playoffs near their beginning.
April 11-14
NBA Play-In Tournament
The first part of the NBA Playoffs begins with the 8-10 seeds in each conference playing to get into the regular playoff picture.
April 15
NBA Playoffs begin
The full-length NBA Playoffs begin with eight teams from each conference.
April 23
NBA Rookie of the Year announced
The winner of the 2022-2023 NBA Rookie of the Year is announced.
May 1
NBA Conference Semifinals begin
The second round of the NBA Playoffs begins with eight teams remaining.
May 12
NBA Most Valuable Player announced
The winner of the 2022-2023 Kia Most Valuable Player Award is announced.
May 16
NBA Conference Finals begin
The final round of the NBA Playoffs begins with four teams remaining and the winners moving on to the NBA Finals.
June 1
NBA Finals begin
The NBA Finals begin with two teams remaining for the title.
June 22
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft of 60 players takes place.
October 24
2023-2024 NBA season begins
The 2023-2024 NBA season begins roughly five months after the NBA Finals conclude for the previous season.
FAQs
Sportsbooks will have categories for each sport in which you can place a bet. Within each of these sports categories, there will be subcategories for the types of bets, and one of these will be futures, team futures, or awards. To place a bet, simply click on the player or team whose future you wish to wager on.
Yes. A majority of futures can be parlayed, such as the winner of separate awards (MVP and Most Improved Player). In contrast, you may not be able to parlay heavily correlated futures, such as the NBA Finals Winner and NBA Finals MVP.
NBA future bets include: NBA Finals Winner, Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, and Most Improved Player. In addition, you can bet on whether a team will make the playoffs and how many games they will win.
You cannot know what will occur between the time you place your bet and the conclusion of the NBA season if you bet on NBA futures. Both team and player futures are subject to a great deal of risk due to player injuries. A bet is more risky the more unknown variables are involved.
Futures odds indicate the likelihood of a certain outcome occurring by the end of the season. What is the likelihood that the Milwaukee Bucks will win the NBA Finals or that Giannis Antetokounmpo will win the MVP award?