FanDuel’s first championship futures for the 2025-26 NBA season place the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks at the front of the Eastern Conference pack.
Posted on August 12, 2025, the sportsbook lists Cleveland at +750 and New York at +800, separating the two from the rest of the field despite relatively quiet off-seasons for both clubs. The Cavaliers return most of a roster that won 64 regular-season games before falling to the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs, while the Knicks, who were eliminated in the conference finals, opted for a head-coaching change but kept their core intact.
Several traditional contenders tumbled down the board after major injuries. The Boston Celtics have been trimming salary since star forward Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles in the postseason, and the Milwaukee Bucks are eighth among East teams after Damian Lillard suffered the same injury and was subsequently waived. Milwaukee used the cap flexibility to sign free-agent center Myles Turner.
The defending conference champion Pacers are slotted below both Boston and Milwaukee following a difficult summer in which they lost Turner to free agency and All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton to a Game 7 Achilles tear that will sideline him for the entire season.
The Orlando Magic hold the conference’s third-best odds at +1700. Orlando endured numerous injuries last year but still boasts young forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and added guard Desmond Bane in one of the off-season’s biggest trades. The Atlanta Hawks, now featuring newly acquired big man Kristaps Porzingis, sit at +3000, while the Philadelphia 76ers (+3500) and Detroit Pistons (+4000) round out the next tier.
Below are FanDuel’s top Eastern Conference futures as of Aug. 12:
• Cavaliers +750
• Knicks +800
• Magic +1700
• Hawks +3000
• 76ers +3500
• Pistons +4000
The numbers reflect a conference reshaped more by injuries than blockbuster signings, leaving oddsmakers to favor continuity in Cleveland and New York for the moment.
Source: Hoops Rumors
