NBA Betting: 2012-13 Futures Odds

Will LeBron and the Heat repeat next season? What about Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder? Are the Spurs and the Celtics too long in the tooth to compete with the young guns? Find out what sportsbooks are offering up in terms of NBA futures odds for 2012/13.

Boy, did that season fly by or what? 

We're days removed from a NBA Finals matchup that saw the Miami Heat grab their second championship trophy. The series lasted only five, and we must say we're a little sad we couldn't see two more exciting games. 

The offseason is young but already sportsbooks have posted their NBA futures odds for next season and the list isn't all that surprising. Here's a rundown of where the lines stand. 

The Heat (+250) are the overall favorites to repeat as champions. How will LeBron do now that the pressure is off? Will the fire still burn for the Heat? They have to keep up their motivation as there's going to be a host of other teams trying to spoil the party. 

On Miami's heels are the Oklahoma City Thunder, priced at +500 to win it all next season. Kevin Durant was brought to tears after falling short in the Finals and he's going to come back with a vengeance in 2012/13. The whole Thunder team has surely learned a valuable lesson about what it's going to take. 

Third on the list are the Chicago Bulls, whom can be found at +650 on the NBA odds board. A lot of questions here, primarily dealing with the health of Derrick Rose. When will he return? And even when he does, will he be the same explosive player? 

Rounding out the top five are the L.A. Lakers (+1000) and San Antonio Spurs (+1200). 

Everyone is expecting the Lakers to make a big move during the offseason and that's how we can explain seeing them so high on this list. We do expect to see Dwight Howard, or someone of his stature, to join up with Kobe in Los Angeles by the start of next season. 

The Spurs played some wonderful basketball this season, but ran into a Thunder team that was on a mission. It seems like Gregg Popovich always has his teams competing for championships though, so the Spurs at +1200 could be excellent value indeed. 

How about the rest of the top ten? It starts with the Dallas Mavericks (+1400), followed by the L.A. Clippers (+1800), Indiana Pacers (+2000), Boston Celtics (+2500) and Memphis Grizzlies (+2500). 

The Mavericks are positioned to make a splash in the market as well, with Deron Williams reportedly at the top of the wishlist. Pairing him with Dirk Nowitzki would make for an incredibly dangerous team. 

For the Clippers, it'll be interesting to see if there's any progression there in the second season with the Chris Paul and Blake Griffin tandem, while the young Pacers and Grizzlies should be right in the playoff hunt once again. 

The future of the Celtics is much more uncertain. The makeup of the team could be quite different by the start of next season, but surely Boston will hold on to at least two of their “Big Four." Whether they'll be able to make another deep playoff run remains to be seen. 

Other notable teams to track include the Denver Nuggets (+3000), New York Knicks (+3500) and Philadelphia 76ers (+4000), while the Orlando Magic (+3000), Atlanta Hawks (+5000), Houston Rockets (+5000), Portland Trail Blazers (+5000) and Utah Jazz (+5000) will be hoping to reach the postseason as well.