The Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs share the lead in the NBA futures odds at +270 each to win the title. The New York Knicks lead the Eastern Conference at +350 and the Thunder lead the West at +140. All prices are DraftKings’, as ESPN carries them, read at 10:58 UTC on Saturday, October 17, 2026 (6:58 am ET), three days before the season opens on October 20.
ESPN lists 15 team futures boards for the 2026-27 season: the title, the two conferences, the NBA Cup and five of its six groups, and the six divisions. This page holds the leaders of each and links to the page that carries the full board. It makes no pick. The award races are on our NBA awards odds page.
NBA futures odds: every board’s favorite
| Board | Favorite | Price | Implied | Margin removed | Teams priced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBA title | Thunder, Spurs | +270 | 27.0% | 22.2% | 30 |
| Eastern Conference | Knicks | +350 | 22.2% | 18.9% | 15 |
| Western Conference | Thunder | +140 | 41.7% | 36.1% | 15 |
| NBA Cup | Thunder | +300 | 25.0% | 19.9% | 30 |
| Atlantic Division | Knicks | +180 | 35.7% | 32.8% | 5 |
| Central Division | Pistons | +125 | 44.4% | 39.6% | 5 |
| Southeast Division | Heat | +145 | 40.8% | 36.9% | 5 |
| Northwest Division | Thunder | -650 | 86.7% | 80.0% | 5 |
| Southwest Division | Spurs | -1000 | 90.9% | 84.6% | 5 |
| Pacific Division | Lakers | -155 | 60.8% | 55.6% | 5 |
Implied is the chance a price needs to break even: +270 needs 27.0%. A board’s implied chances add up to more than 100%, and the excess is the bookmaker’s margin. The title board adds up to 121.9%, so each co-favorite’s 27.0% is 22.2% with the margin taken out (27.0 / 121.9). The futures betting guide explains how a season-long price is settled.
NBA championship: Thunder and Spurs at +270
- Oklahoma City Thunder: +270 (27.0%)
- San Antonio Spurs: +270 (27.0%)
- Philadelphia 76ers: +900 (10.0%)
- New York Knicks: +900 (10.0%)
The Knicks are the holders. They beat the Spurs in the 2026 Finals and became the first team to win the NBA Cup and the title in the same season, according to NBA.com. The market still puts the champions tied for third. With the margin out, the two co-favorites hold 44.4% of the title between them. The top four have not moved since our read on October 12; Houston has, from +5000 to +3500, while the Lakers drifted from +3500 to +4000. All 30 teams are on our NBA championship odds page.
Eastern Conference: Knicks at +350
- New York Knicks: +350 (22.2%)
- Philadelphia 76ers: +360 (21.7%)
- Boston Celtics: +550 (15.4%)
Half a point of implied chance separates the Knicks and the 76ers, the closest gap at the top of any board here except the title, where the two leaders are level. It has narrowed since October 12, when New York was +340 and Philadelphia +380. Detroit, which finished first in the East last season with its first 60-win campaign in two decades, as NBA.com noted in August, is fourth at +850, out from +800. Our Eastern Conference odds page has all 15 teams.
Western Conference: Thunder at +140
- Oklahoma City Thunder: +140 (41.7%)
- San Antonio Spurs: +150 (40.0%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: +1400 (6.7%)
San Antonio won the West last season and met the Knicks in the Finals. This board is a two-team market: with the margin out, the Thunder and Spurs hold 70.8% of it, and the third team is at +1400. Both leaders have shortened since October 12 (from +145 and +160). Below them the board has reshuffled: Houston is in from +2200 to +1500, Denver out from +1100 to +1500, and Golden State out from +2200 to +4000. The full board is on our Western Conference odds page.
NBA Cup: Thunder at +300
- Oklahoma City Thunder: +300 (25.0%)
- San Antonio Spurs: +400 (20.0%)
- Boston Celtics: +1000 (9.1%)
The Knicks hold the Cup after beating the Spurs 124-113 in the 2025 final, and they are +1400 to keep it. Group play opens on Friday, October 30, and the championship is on Friday, December 11, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, NBA.com says. Oklahoma City has drifted from +290 since October 12 and San Antonio has come in from +425.
ESPN prices five of the six groups, two teams shown for each:
- East Group A: Detroit Pistons +155, Toronto Raptors +200
- East Group B: New York Knicks +250, Philadelphia 76ers +270
- East Group C: Boston Celtics +110 (from +135), Atlanta Hawks +280
- West Group A: Denver Nuggets +185 (from +175), Houston Rockets +195 (from +240)
- West Group B: Oklahoma City Thunder -200, Minnesota Timberwolves +330
East Groups A and B were not on ESPN on October 12. West Group C, the Spurs, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Warriors and Kings, has no board. The groups, the dates and the winner board are on our NBA Cup odds page.
The six division races
Each division board has five teams; the top two are shown, with last season’s division winner from the final 2025-26 standings.
- Atlantic: Knicks +180, Celtics +215. Boston won it last season at 56-26, three games ahead of New York. Atlantic Division odds
- Central: Pistons +125, Cavaliers +130. Detroit won it at 60-22, yet the gap here is one point of implied chance: the Pistons were +100 on October 12 and Cleveland +160. Central Division odds
- Southeast: Heat +145, Hawks +265. Atlanta won it at 46-36; Miami finished fourth in the division at 43-39 and leads this board by 13.4 points. Southeast Division odds
- Northwest: Thunder -650, Nuggets +900. Oklahoma City won it at 64-18, the best record in the league. Northwest Division odds
- Southwest: Spurs -1000, Rockets +600. San Antonio won it at 62-20; Houston is in from +750, and the Spurs out from -1200. Southwest Division odds
- Pacific: Lakers -155, Suns +310. The Lakers won it at 53-29 and have shortened from -130 since October 12, with Phoenix out from +265. Pacific Division odds
Four favorites across the 15 boards are odds-on: the Thunder in West Group B and the Northwest, the Spurs in the Southwest and the Lakers in the Pacific.
When these boards are settled
The Cup is decided first, on December 11. The divisions are settled when the regular season ends, and the conference and title boards in the playoffs. Prices move all season, and this page is rebuilt when the boards do. Every game we cover is on the NBA predictions hub.