Real NBA basketball is so close we can taste it, but before we start analyzing spreads and totals on a nightly basis, we’ve got a little more time to look way ahead. The NBA futures market is full of possibilities, options and value.
Below I took a look at three different ways to bet teams that have some positive upside going into the 2025-26 season. Here’s a look at my favorite futures bets entering the season.
Dallas Mavericks to make the NBA Playoffs (+105, BetRivers)
It’s hard to describe just how lucky the Mavericks were to land the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft after letting go of one of the most accomplished young players in the NBA. The Mavericks went from an NBA Finals contender entering last season to barely making the play-in tournament.
Landing Cooper Flagg in the draft after trading away Luka Doncic completely reset the Mavs heading into this season. Flagg showed that he has all the tools run an offense at Duke and his versatility should help ease his transition into the NBA.
The Mavericks will miss Kyrie Irving at least until January of next year and that lowers their ceiling this season a bit.
However, Dallas has a ton depth up and down the roster. They have two players who can start at center next to Anthony Davis, which is something Davis has wanted since he won a title with the Lakers in 2020.
They have players like D’Angelo Russell who can play on or off the ball to keep the offense flowing.
The Western Conference is going to be crowded in the top six much like it was last season — the No. 2 team in the West had a four game lead over the No. 8 team at the end of the regular season. I think the Mavericks are talented enough to stay afloat and will improve if Irving comes back healthy before the all-star break.
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Houston Rockets to advance to Western Conference semifinals (+100, FanDuel)
The Rockets were such a great defensive team last season, you almost didn’t notice how bad their offense was until it was impossible to ignore. That moment came in the playoffs. The Rockets pushed the Warriors to seven games, but couldn’t get a win at home because they just couldn’t score enough when it mattered.
Enter Kevin Durant, who can be a one-man offense, especially in the half court where the Rockets had trouble generating points. Swapping Durant for Jalen Green will do wonders for Houston.
The real key to this team will be the growth of Amen Thompson, who exploded onto the scene last season. With Fred VanVleet out for the season after a torn ACL, Thompson will have to shoulder more of the offensive load. Before Thompson became a full-time starter, he averaged 11.9 points and 2.2 assists per game. After he became a full-time starter, those marks jumped to 15.9 points and 5.2 assists.
This all brings me to the bet. The Rockets have the third-highest win total in the West and third-shortest odds to win the conference. If that holds true — even if they finish fourth — they’ll have home court advantage in the first round just like last season. I think this team gets over the hump if they have to win a Game 7 at home in Round 1.
Knicks/Nuggets Conference winner parlay (+2375, BetRivers)
There hasn’t been a repeat champion in the NBA since the 2018 Warriors swept the Cavaliers. That team had Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson in their primes. Another interesting note, only one of the preseason favorites to win the NBA Title since that season has actually closed the deal — the Celtics in 2024.
None of these random historical facts mean much to the Thunder, who are young, fun and ferocious on both sides of the ball. But those trends can’t just be ignored either. Winning back-to-back championships in the league in this new era of aprons and parity seems to be much harder than it was just a decade ago.
If we’re looking at other teams that could make the Finals, I’m looking at Denver and New York. The Nuggets took the Thunder to seven games with a team that had very little bench help, two starters who were gutting out injuries and an interim coach who had 16 games of experience in the job.
The Nuggets made sure to address those issues in the offseason. They made David Adelman the full-time head coach, traded Michael Porter Jr. for a better defensive player and capable shooter in Cam Johnson, then added Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown and Jonas Valaciunas over the summer.
The Knicks had a similarly disappointing end to their season after falling to the Pacers in the conference finals. They anchored their team to new head coach Mike Brown and filled in the holes on their bench by signing Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency.
Both teams were on the doorstep of beating the eventual Finals teams from last season, both teams improved in the offseason while maintaining their core and both teams have the best player in their respective conferences in Nikola Jokic and Jalen Brunson.
Some books are offering NBA Finalists markets, but this parlay at BetRivers offers better odds than those markets.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
