Best and Worst NBA Futures Bets for the 2024-25 Season

The new NBA season is rapidly approaching, so it’s time to place your season-long futures wagers before it officially kicks off. If you aren’t familiar, futures are a type of bet that spans the entirety of the season rather than game-long bets. They take longer to settle but can be a lot of fun and keep you in the action longer. Examples of futures include players to win an award, championship winner, and team win totals.

Futures can be tricky because there is a balance between finding good value and choosing bets with a realistic chance of hitting. You might feel strongly about a player winning MVP, but the odds aren’t profitable enough if it is the number one favorite. Conversely, betting on the Pistons to win the NBA Championship would be more of a donation to your betting app than a futures bet. Let’s get into some of the best and worst futures bets for the brand-new season ahead.

All futures odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook

Best Bets:

Anthony Edwards to Win MVP (+1200) - Ant is clearly the best player on one of the best teams in the league. The Timberwolves made it to the Western Conference Finals a season ago, and the 23-year-old will only continue to grow. Especially with Karl Anthony Towns being traded away, Ant will have an even bigger role as the sole superstar. While players like Luka (+370) have better odds, Edwards has the best balance of value and chance to win.

Jared McCain to win Rookie of the Year (+3500) - The value here is incredible. In the weakest draft class that most of us have witnessed, the Duke star and first-round pick is somehow tied for the 15th-best odds. Joel Embiid even praised McCain’s training camp saying he’s been “probably our best player.” Don’t let the TikTok dances fool you, McCain can hoop and will have a big role on this Sixers team.

Orlando Magic to win NBA Cup (+2200) - The Magic quietly took a big step in the right direction last season. With such a young roster and a blooming star in Paolo Banchero, the Magic are poised to make more noise this year. While their inexperience will likely hold them back from winning it all, the new midseason NBA Cup is a great opportunity for a team on the rise.

Worst Bets:

Bronny James Specials - Yes, you read that right. Some betting apps like DraftKings Sportsbook have entire sections of futures for Bronny James’ rookie season. Props range from Bronny to record 15+ points in any regular season game (+100), to recording a double double (+3000) in any regular season game. A player on a two-way contract should not have these options, and it is clear bait by sportsbooks to profit off the hype around LeBron’s son.

Victor Wembanyama to win Most Improved Player (+750) - Wemby being the odds on favorite to win the Most Improved Player award doesn’t make any sense to me. While he surely will improve on his usage and stats from his rookie season, he already averaged about 21 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, & 3.6 blocks. While the points may increase to the 27-28 range, its hard to imagine the rest of the statistical categories jumping enough to warrant him winning.

Psycho defense 🤣 https://t.co/cLSfZ9uf2Y

— Wemby (@wemby) July 3, 2024

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New York Knicks to win the NBA Championship (+800) - This one is largely going off history. The Knicks havent won the Larry O’Brien trophy since… well ever. The name for the trophy debuted in 1981, while the Knicks’ last championship was in 1973. It’s like believing each year is the Cowboys’ year. The Knicks will be a top seed in the Eastern Conference, but don’t have any players who have gotten the job done before.