Can the Celtics stay on top while their rivals step up their game?

The NBA regular season begins on October 22nd with two games featuring the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers.

The offseason was full of notable roster moves as the Eastern Conference became aggressive in acquiring talent. With the field chasing the Celtics, Paul George left the LA Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Western Conference has also been busy making moves. After a loss in the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks persuaded Klay Thompson to leave the Golden State Warriors after 13 years. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso and added Isaiah Hartenstein.

Since the last six champions are all different teams, the parity in the league is higher than it has been in decades. There are many teams that have a realistic chance of winning it all next season. With that in mind, here is our latest championship index for the 2024-25 NBA season.

Competitors

1. Boston Celtics (+310 to win the title). DraftKings Sportsbook)

2. Dallas Mavericks (+1000)

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (+700)

4. New York Knicks (+800)

5. Philadelphia 76ers (+900)

6. Denver Nuggets (+950)

7. Milwaukee Bucks (+1400)

Fringe candidates

8. Minnesota Timberwolves (+1000)

9. Indiana Pacers (+6000)

10. Cleveland Cavaliers (+6000)

11. Phoenix Suns (+3000)

12. Orlando Magic (+6500)

Pretenders

13. Sacramento Kings (+7500)

14. Los Angeles Lakers (+3000)

15. New Orleans Pelicans (+5500)

16. Memphis Grizzlies (+4000)

17. Miami Heat (+4500)

18. Houston Rockets (+15000)

19. Golden State Warriors (+3500)

20. LA Clippers (+8000)

21. Atlanta Hawks (+60000)

Rebuild teams

22. San Antonio Spurs (+15000)

23. Charlotte Hornets (+100000)

24. Utah Jazz (+100000)

25. Toronto Raptors (+100000)

26. Detroit Pistons (+100000)

27. Chicago Bulls (+100000)

Capture of the (Cooper) flag

28. Brooklyn Nets (+100000)

29. Washington Wizards (+100000)

30. Portland Trail Blazers (+100000)

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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds are subject to change.

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