Three teams ahead of champion Knicks in 2027 NBA title odds

ByDavid Purdum ESPN logo
Sunday, June 14, 2026 4:52PM
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The New York Knicks are NBA champions, but they are not the favorite to win next year's title heading into an offseason that could see at least one superstar on the move.

Three teams -- the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics -- have better odds to win the 2027 NBA championship than the Knicks at sportsbooks around the nation. The Knicks are +650 at DraftKings.

After an up-and-down regular season, the Knicks entered the postseason at 17-1 to win the title and became the third-biggest long shot to capture the championship in the past 50 years, according to betting archive SportsOddsHistory.com.

The Knicks got off to a rocky start in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks but found their rhythm and won 15 of 16 games to clinch their first championship since 1973. They capped the run by knocking off the favored Spurs in five games in the Finals and finished with by far the largest point differential (+283) in a postseason run in NBA history, according to ESPN Research.

Despite their dominance, oddsmakers still have the Knicks behind the Spurs (+250), Thunder (+260) and Celtics (+550) entering an offseason that could see Giannis Antetokounmpo on the move. Prediction market Kalshi has the Miami Heat and Celtics as Antetokounmpo's most likely landing spots, if he were to leave the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat are 40-1 to win next year's title at DraftKings. The Bucks are 250-1.

The Indiana Pacers (28-1) and Denver Nuggets (28-1) make up the second tier of contenders in DraftKings' 2027 title odds, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers, who are each 30-1.

The Sacramento Kings have the longest title odds entering the offseason, listed at 1,000-1 at DraftKings.br/]

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