The NBA’s remarkable stretch of parity may be far from over — and the latest twist has LeBron James heading to Philadelphia, sending the 76ers climbing up the championship odds charts.
New York’s title run last month wrapped up a historic eight-year period in which eight different franchises claimed the championship: Toronto in 2019, James and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023, Boston in 2024, Oklahoma City in 2025, and now the Knicks.
With that kind of variety in recent champions, there’s a real possibility the streak of first-time winners keeps going in 2027. Among the teams currently drawing strong title odds are reigning Western Conference champion San Antonio, along with Minnesota, Detroit, Cleveland, Miami — and now Philadelphia.
Here’s a breakdown of how the teams stack up by tier, according to sportsbooks and prediction markets:
James’ arrival in Philadelphia has pushed the 76ers into the upper tier of contenders — just not the very top. Most major books and prediction markets are pointing to Oklahoma City and San Antonio as the teams everyone else will have to beat in the West. As of Saturday, the Thunder hold a slight edge over the Spurs for the best overall title odds, though plenty could change in the months ahead.
That standing makes sense given the rosters involved. Oklahoma City is anchored by two-time Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and boasts a championship-tested core. San Antonio, meanwhile, features unanimous Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama at the center of a young squad that made major strides in 2025-26 and figures to keep improving.
The LeBron effect has placed Philadelphia right alongside defending champion New York. The Knicks and 76ers currently hold the third- and fourth-best title odds — the exact order varying depending on the source — according to most books and markets.
For New York, that’s roughly the same position the team held entering last season: not quite the favorite, but ahead of nearly the entire field. For Philadelphia, it marks their best preseason odds positioning since around the 2019-20 campaign.
Boston slots in at No. 5 in most current rankings. Some of the Celtics’ offseason moves — notably the trade of Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia — have drawn criticism, but bettors don’t appear too concerned, perhaps recalling how Boston outperformed expectations last season.
Beyond the top five, things get more complicated. Denver, Toronto, Minnesota, Detroit and Cleveland are all bunched closely together in the next tier. Toronto stands out as the team on the rise in that group, largely driven by expectations that the Raptors will complete a trade for Kawhi Leonard, the cornerstone of their 2019 championship.
Miami follows close behind, with bettors holding mixed opinions on the Heat. The consistent thread, though, is a belief that adding Giannis Antetokounmpo alongside Bam Adebayo will be enough to get Miami back into the postseason.
Despite losing James, the Lakers — now Luka Doncic’s team — are still expected to make the playoffs. Bettors also anticipate a bounce-back from Indiana, a 2025 NBA finalist that tumbled in the standings last season after Tyrese Haliburton missed time due to injury.
Houston and Golden State round out the current top 15, with oddsmakers expecting both clubs to be postseason contenders. Not far behind them: Atlanta, Orlando and Portland.
Washington, which now has Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Khris Middleton, is seen as improved — but bettors aren’t yet confident enough to place money on the Wizards reaching the playoffs. Washington, holding the No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, sits in a cluster of teams viewed as potential play-in candidates, alongside Phoenix, Charlotte, Dallas and Utah.
For value hunters, the longest odds belong to the Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans, Chicago, Memphis, Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Sacramento.
One important reminder: surprises happen every year. Charlotte was near the bottom of most preseason lists last season and still won 44 games. The year before that, Detroit carried some of the longest preseason odds in the league — and also won 44 games.
Based on the average of where books and markets stood on Saturday, the projected playoff picture for next spring looks like this:
Eastern Conference playoff teams: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, Miami, Indiana. Eastern Conference play-in teams (outside the playoffs): Atlanta, Indiana.
Western Conference playoff teams: Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver, Minnesota, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston, Golden State, Portland. Western Conference play-in teams (outside the playoffs): Phoenix, Dallas.
