NBA Futures – Warriors, Cavs Three-match, Anyone?

After the Cavaliers upset the Warriors in the 2016 NBA finals, many expected LeBron and the Cavs to be the early 2017 title favorites. After all, they still play in the horrendous Eastern Conference and have a much easier route back to the finals.

But the looming spectre of free agency (including the potential of Golden State landing Kevin Durant) has the high-scoring Warriors back atop the odds. The Cavs aren’t far behind, but there’s a significant drop after that.

The takeaway: everyone and their dog is expecting a third straight Cleveland/Golden State final.

Tonight’s draft is going to shake things up a bit, but none of the top contenders are going to drastically change the look for their franchise, unless maybe you count the Celtics as a “top contender. (I don’t.)

The lowly Knicks don’t have a pick in this year’s draft (at the moment), but they’re making bold plays nonetheless. They dealt for former MVP Derrick Rose and are now hoping and praying his knee holds up. (It won’t.)

Has that deal turned them into Eastern Conference contenders? Find out below! (It didn’t.)

2017 NBA Title Odds

Golden State Warriors: 2/1

Do the Warriors have the mental fortitude to bounce back after a disappointing end to an otherwise historic season? Golden State can look to the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs as examples of teams that lost in dramatic fashion yet were able to come back better the following season.

Several media outlets have said the Warriors are pursuing Kevin Durant’s talents in free agency – and that the interest is mutual – but even if KD doesn’t go to the Bay, the Warriors will still have the nucleus of their 73-win team intact. That’s enough to be title favorites.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 3/1

As long as the Cavaliers have Lebron James, they will be among the title favorites. The King was a one-man wrecking crew as the Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit against Golden State. He led the finals in basically every meaningful statistical category (except sucking).

The Eastern Conference is still weak and there’s no reason to think any of the teams will make the jump to legitimate contenders next year. Even if the Cavs don’t add a lot of pieces, they shouldn’t face much of a challenge before the finals.

San Antonio Spurs: 8/1

The first year of the Spurs’ experiment with LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, and Kawhi Leonard didn’t go as expected. After a dominant regular season, the team bowed out to OKC in the second round of the playoffs. They lacked a go-to scorer in crunch time. Look for management to address that issue in the offseason. If and when they do, the Spurs’ odds should get a little shorter.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 10/1

The Thunder were tantalizingly close to reaching the finals last year. But now KD is a free agent and the entire future of the franchise rests on his decision to stay or go. I think he stays one more year and OKC remains a top-tier team in the ultra-powerful West. But the front office still needs to improve the bench if Durant and Russell Westbrook are finally going to break through and capture a title.

The Field:

Boston Celtics: 25/1

Los Angeles Clippers: 25/1

Miami Heat: 30/1

Toronto Raptors: 40/1

Atlanta Hawks: 50/1

Chicago Bulls: 50/1

Houston Rockets: 70/1

Minnesota Timberwolves: 70/1

New Orleans Pelicans: 70/1

Portland Blazers: 75/1

Charlotte Hornets: 100/1

Los Angeles Lakers: 100/1

Memphis Grizzlies: 100/1

Utah Jazz: 100/1

Dallas Mavericks: 125/1

Denver Nuggets: 125/1

Detroit Pistons 125/1

Indiana Pacers  125/1

Milwaukee Bucks: 125/1

New York Knicks: 125/1

Orlando Magic: 125/1

Philadelphia 76ers: 125/1

Sacramento Kings: 125/1

Washington Wizards: 125/1

Phoenix Suns: 300/1

Brooklyn Nets: 500/1

(Photo Credit: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (LeBron James) CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)