(The views expressed in this article are the views of the individual author and do not reflect the views of the Let’s Get Ready Network.)
The most common question in sports is “who will win the championship?” This is the most common type of futures bet made as well. Futures bets are odds that are given to distant events that will take place in the future. These events include future Super Bowls, Finals, MVP, win totals, etc. Futures odds are usually stated as a moneyline for which one outcome will occur. This is expressed as a (-) for favorites and a (+) for underdogs. Usually, the odds for winning the championship are posted before the season and lines change as events like injuries or suspensions change the chances of a team to win it all.
As of today, the best futures odds to win the NBA finals are for the Brooklyn Nets at +185*, which is a payout of $185 for a $100 bet. Up 2-0, the Nets don’t seem to be getting much resistance in the first round. This is likely to also be the case in the next round. I see this changing in the conference finals. The Nets become a -115 favorite to win the conference finals, but the favorite is not always the best bet. To me, the best value is on the Milwaukee Bucks at +290 to win the conference and +550 to win it all. As long as Giannis stays healthy, the Bucks are steamrolling the Miami Heat, who they lost to last year, and have seemed to change the narrative on them. In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers are a +400 to win it all and +160 to win the conference. But with the surprising 2-0 lead the Dallas Mavericks have on the Los Angeles Clippers, they look really good and Luka Doncic appears unstoppable. This is the best value to me with Dallas at +700 to win the conference and +1600 to win it all. That is 16/1 odds which would be a payout of $1600 on a $100 bet.
One of the most intriguing situations of the NFL offseason is the feud that has been building for years between the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. The division between them has only increased as he has not shown up for minicamp, and five of the Packers’ receivers have taken his lead and also not attended. With all the back-and-forth comments between the two parties and the trade rumors, betting sites have put out futures odds for who will start Week 1 for the Packers. At +300, Drew Lock is the favorite considering the trade rumors during the draft and the Denver Broncos not selecting a quarterback in the draft. In this case, the favorite can be the best value considering you are betting against the fact that Rodgers will reconcile and come back to the Packers to be the starting quarterback Week 1. Derek Carr is second with +400 as Jon Gruden has had previous success with an aging quarterback in Rich Gannon and Las Vegas seems like a prime location that Rodgers would want to go to. If the Packers thought Jordan Love was ready to replace Rodgers, they would have made the trade by now. This is why Love comes in third at +500. He is not likely to start. Whichever quarterback Rodgers is traded for will likely start over him.
*odds from Vegas Insider
