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Stephen A.: KD has plenty left to be Rockets' No. 1 option (1:27)
Stephen A. Smith loves the Kevin Durant trade for the Houston Rockets as they look to compete for an NBA title next season. (1:27)
David PurdumJun 23, 2025, 08:31 AM ET
- Joined ESPN in 2014
- Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008
The Houston Rockets' trade for Kevin Durant and the injury suffered by the Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton shook up the early odds to win next season's NBA title, but the clear-cut favorite remains the champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder, who beat the Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the Finals on Sunday night, head into the offseason as the favorites at +220 at ESPN BET. Those are the shortest preseason championship odds since the 2018-19 Golden State Warriors (-168), according to SportsOddsHistory.com.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Rockets are next, each at +800, followed by the New York Knicks (+850).
Houston moved from +1800 to +800 at ESPN BET after acquiring Durant in a trade with the Phoenix Suns. For a while Sunday, the Rockets were alone with the second-best title odds at sportsbooks, behind the Thunder. But after Haliburton went down with a reported Achilles injury in the first half in Game 7, sportsbooks moved the Cavaliers up the board as their odds for winning the East improved.
The Pacers fell from 10-1 to 40-1 at ESPN BET after Haliburton's injury.
The Boston Celtics, who were the consensus favorites entering the previous two seasons, were 13-1 to win the 2026 title at ESPN BET. The Celtics also are dealing with a serious injury to a superstar. Jayson Tatum is rehabbing from an Achilles injury that is expected to keep him out for most, if not all, of next season. ESPN BET opened the odds on next year's NBA champion in late May, about a week after Tatum was injured in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks.
"His absence is definitely the key factor in the Celtics pricing given how integral he has been to their team success the last several years," ESPN BET trading director Adrian Horton wrote in an email. "With a fully healthy Tatum, the Celtics might be as high as our second-shortest odds right now, maybe around +400, +450 behind OKC."
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers were each +1400 on Monday at ESPN BET, followed by the Orlando Magic (+1500) and Denver Nuggets (+1600).
