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By Max Meyer

It’s a fresh new start filled with championship aspirations for all 30 NBA teams, as the season tips off tonight with Nets at Bucks and Warriors at Lakers. 

Milwaukee won the franchise’s first NBA championship since 1971, yet it’s a different team that has generated overwhelming action at Caesars Sportsbook to win the title this time around. 

Let’s start with the current odds, though. The Nets opened as the +250 favorites on July 15 and are now down to +230 ahead of their season opener. Even with questions surrounding when and if Kyrie Irving will play this season, Brooklyn still finds itself on top of the board.

“I don’t think [Kyrie’s] effect on the market will be immediate, it’ll be when he returns that he’ll change the spreads, totals and futures prices,” said Craig Mucklow, Vice President of Trading at Caesars Sportsbook. We know he’s not playing now, and that’s already been factored into the lines. If he doesn’t play for half the year or so, the Nets are still going to make the playoffs without Kyrie. Then if Kyrie joins them at whatever stage of the year and he’s fresh come playoff time, that would be an advantage. They’ll only get better when he returns.”

Then the Lakers originally were +450, reached as low as +350 and have gone slightly back up to +350. The defending champion Bucks have the third-lowest odds, dropping from +900 to +800. The Warriors have stayed put at 10/1, while a pair of teams are at 15/1 (Suns, Jazz) and 18/1 (Clippers, 76ers). The 76ers and Clippers have each seen their odds lower a bit after both opened at 20/1.

The Nuggets and Heat follow at 25/1, with the Mavericks nearby at 30/1. The Hawks (40/1) and Celtics (50/1) are next, whereas the Bulls and Trail Blazers are close behind at 60/1 each. Chicago has had one of the most notable NBA championship futures shifts at Caesars Sportsbook, swinging from 100/1 to its current number of 60/1. 

The Knicks (80/1) are the only other team below 100/1. But 100/1 is where the Grizzlies, Pelicans and Pacers are positioned, with three others in that range—Raptors (125/1), Hornets (150/1) and Wizards (150/1). The biggest longshots are the Cavaliers, Rockets, Pistons, Magic and Thunder all at 500/1, while the Kings (250/1), Spurs (250/1) and Timberwolves (300/1) are also at the bottom.  

One squad, though, stands alone for who Caesars Sportsbook bettors are backing to take home the trophy. The Lakers are tops in both total number of tickets at 23% and total dollars wagered with a whopping 51%.

“The Lakers are always going to be popular, especially with LeBron [James],” Mucklow said. “I think the uncertainty around Kyrie [Irving] has played a part too in the Lakers being bet this much, especially with how short the Nets’ odds are. If it wasn’t for the case that we always lay the Lakers, though, they wouldn’t be that short of a price. The Warriors and the Nuggets are the two from the West that would be on my radar this year.”

That is highlighted by one Nevada bettor who staked $35,000 on Lakers +300 for a total potential payout of $140,000, which is the biggest 2021-22 NBA championship futures bet taken thus far at Caesars Sportsbook. 

Just two other teams have cracked into double-digits in either category. The Warriors rank second with 11% of the total number of tickets and the Nets only trail the Lakers in total dollars wagered at 12%. Brooklyn is also third in total number of tickets at 8%.

Besides the Lakers and Nets, only the Nuggets rank inside the top 5 in both categories. Denver has captured 7% of the total number of tickets and 3% of the total dollars wagered.

The team that is third in total dollars wagered also resides in Los Angeles. The Clippers have notched 7% there, including a $10,000 wager at 16/1 for a total potential payout of $170,000. That is the biggest total potential payout of any 2021-22 NBA championship futures wager at Caesars Sportsbook.

Check out Caesars Sportsbook’s latest odds and trends for 2021-22 NBA championship futures wagers below. 