LeBron James began his career as the youngest player in the NBA when he made his debut, and he is now the league's oldest player entering the 2023-24 NBA season. The 19-time All-Star is on track to score 40,000 regular-season points at some point this year, but his bigger goal is to make a deep postseason run with a revamped roster. Los Angeles inked a three-year extension with Anthony Davis, and they added several veterans in the offseason as well. The Lakers are 11-1 in the latest 2024 NBA Finals odds, sitting well behind the top tier of 2023-24 NBA contenders.
Boston is the slight +380 favorite in the 2023 NBA futures odds to win it all, followed closely by Milwaukee at +400. The defending champion Nuggets (+420) are next on the NBA odds board with the Suns following at +600. Which teams should you include in your 2023-24 NBA bets? Before making any basketball picks or 2023-24 NBA futures bets, be sure to see the latest NBA predictions from SportsLine basketball expert Matt Severance.
Severance is a well-connected writer and high-volume handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. After joining SportsLine, he quickly established himself as a top expert in multiple sports. Over the past two NBA seasons, he has returned $3,215 for $100 bettors on his NBA picks. Anybody following him has seen huge returns.
Now, he has has revealed his top 2023-24 NBA futures bets. You can head to SportsLine to see them.
Top 2024 NBA futures bets
Some of Severance's top 2023-24 NBA futures advice: He says to stay away from the Phoenix Suns (+600) as a title contender. Phoenix added star guard Bradley Beal to a roster that already includes superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, they sacrificed nearly their entire roster to make that happen, leaving them without much depth behind their star trio.
Depth is a critical element of winning an NBA title, especially when all three players have an injury history. Beal has only played in 55% of games over the last two seasons, while Durant is only slightly better at 58% since returning from his Achilles injury. Phoenix needs all three players to stay healthy to have a realistic shot at winning the title, making the Suns a poor value at short odds. See Severance's best NBA futures bets at SportsLine.
How to place 2023 NBA futures bets
Severance has revealed five picks, including a pair of longshot plays that return at least +3000. You can see all of Severance's top 2023 NBA futures picks here.
Which 2023 NBA futures odds should you target, and which longshot plays could lead to a massive June payday? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2023 NBA futures bets, all from the expert who is up more than 32 units on his NBA picks the past two seasons, and find out.
2023-24 NBA championship odds
Celtics +380
Bucks +400
Nuggets +420
Suns +600
Warriors +850
Lakers +1100
76ers +2500
Mavericks +2500
Clippers +2500
Heat +2800
Cavaliers +3000
Grizzlies +3000
Kings +4000
Knicks +5000
Pelicans +5000
Timberwolves +6000
Thunder +7500
Hawks +8000
Raptors +12500
Bulls +15000
Nets +15000
Spurs +20000
Pacers +20000
Jazz +30000
Rockets +30000
Magic +30000
Pistons +50000
Hornets +50000
Wizards +50000
Blazers +50000
2023-24 NBA win totals
Celtics 54.5
Bucks 53.5
Nuggets 52.5
Suns 52.5
Cavaliers 50.5
76ers 47.5
Warriors 47.5
Lakers 46.5
Clippers 45.5
Grizzlies 45.5
Knicks 45.5
Heat 44.5
Kings 44.5
Timberwolves 44.5
Pelicans 44.5
Thunder 44.5
Mavericks 43.5
Hawks 41.5
Pacers 38.5
Nets 37.5
Bulls 37.5
Magic 37.5
Raptors 36.5
Jazz 35.5
Hornets 31.5
Rockets 31.5
Spurs 28.5
Pistons 27.5
Blazers 27.5
Wizards 23.5
