Cade Cunningham Carries 60-1 Odds in Early NBA MVP Betting
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Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has opened the 2025-26 campaign with 60-1 odds to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, according to ESPN BET, the seventh-shortest line on the board one week into the season.
How Cunningham Stacks Up Against the Favorites
The three lowest MVP prices belong to reigning winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+225), San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (+275) and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić (+375). Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with 32.7 points per game last season, Wembanyama has started this year averaging 33.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 6.0 blocks, and Jokić is coming off a historic triple-double season of 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists.
Cunningham’s Statistical Trajectory
The No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft posted career highs of 26.1 points, 9.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 2024-25 while appearing in more than 64 games for the first time. If the 23-year-old can raise his output by roughly four points and one assist per game, he would join Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas and Russell Westbrook as the only players to average at least 30 points and 10 assists over a full season.
Impact on Team Success
Cunningham’s on-court/off-court differential last season was +3.4 points per 100 possessions, helping Detroit jump from 14-68 to 44-38 and reach the postseason. For a serious MVP push, analysts project he would need a double-digit efficiency swing and at least 55–60 Pistons wins. The Eastern Conference could be more forgiving this year, with Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton sidelined by injuries, giving Detroit a path to a top seed.
Betting Perspective
Gilgeous-Alexander followed a similar arc two years ago, finishing second in the 2023-24 vote before capturing the 2024-25 award. While Cunningham faces steep competition from Wembanyama, Jokić and the reigning MVP, oddsmakers view the 60-1 ticket as a speculative play for bettors banking on another leap in production and team success.
Source: ESPN
