Thursday, April 10, 2025
Five NBA Postseason Futures Worth Watching
With college basketball now over for the season, we're less than 10 days away from the start of the NBA playoffs. There's no shortage of compelling storylines this spring coupled with a great mix of upstart contenders and traditional or familiar powers that are in position to make lengthy playoff runs.
While the playoff field hasn't been set, and won't be until next Friday, fans and observers have been eyeing how the matchups and brackets will sort out since before the calendar even turned to 2025. Additionally, we're just about certain of the 20 teams that will be taking part in the postseason starting with the play-in games on Tuesday.
Using likely and possible playoff matchups and what we've watched all year, let's look at a few futures bets that might be worth a play.
(All odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook as of April 8.)
Chicago Bulls to make the playoffs (+225)
For the last two years of the Play-in Tournament, the top eight teams from the regular season in each conference have been the playoff teams. In other words, no 9- or 10-seed in either conference has jumped up to the playoffs since both the Hawks and Pelicans did so for the 2022 playoffs.
Currently, Chicago is in the 9-spot in the East, meaning they'd have to win a road game to get the 8-seed. But, as of writing time, the Bulls are just a game back of Atlanta for the 8-seed, and face three teams below them in the East standings to close out the season.
Plus, the Bulls are 11-4 with the 10th-ranked offense and 11th-ranked defense in their last 15 games. This isn't even a threat to advance in the real playoffs, but Coby White, Josh Giddey, and Co. should be seen as a major threat to get through the play-in gauntlet next week.
Los Angeles Lakers not to make the Western Conference Finals (-210)
I have to give the Lakers all the credit in the world. What looked like a middling playoff team through three months and change was turned around in part by the most shocking superstar trade in league history. It hasn't hurt that LeBron James is still a top-10 player at 40, and Austin Reaves has taken a leap.
But I don't think I see the path for the Lakers winning two playoff rounds unless they somehow draw Memphis and then Houston once the West seeding logjam resolves itself this weekend. Despite the offensive genius of Luka Doncic, LeBron, and Reaves, I don't see enough consistent defense or size to stop offenses like Denver, Minnesota, or Golden State once the familiarity of a playoff series develops.
Minnesota Timberwolves to make the Western Conference Semifinals (+160)
The Wolves have been on fire lately, winning five in a row as of writing time and 12 of their last 15. The offensive struggles and growing pains with a new lineup/rotation after the Karl-Anthony Towns trade are now distant memories.
Additionally, the recent stretch of games has been with a productive Julius Randle, which didn't seem like it would happen this year when the former Knick went through January shooting 23% from deep.
This price at plus money seems awfully volatile, as the Wolves are currently in a play-in spot, but could finish all the way up at the No. 3 or 4 seed with a few games to go. Even if Minnesota winds up having to get in the playoffs the hard way, I'm only going to bet against Anthony Edwards and Chris Finch if the opponent is Oklahoma City in Round 1.
Cleveland Cavaliers to make the Eastern Conference Finals (-390)
All season, I've been waiting for the Cavs to be a bit overvalued following a dominant, 60+ win season with three double-digit win streaks. It's probably not happening at this point.
Based on other futures pricing, Cleveland projects to be a home-court underdog against the Celtics in the East Finals, but a prohibitive favorite against the Pacers, Bucks, or Pistons in Round 2, which is completely fair.
I've been skeptical of the Cavs a bit thanks to their relative lack of success the past two playoffs, but this looks like a different team. If you're squinting hard, the defensive numbers aren't what they were in the first few months of the season, but the dropoff has come after the 1 seed was all but sewn up.
If the top eight rotation guys stay healthy through the start of this playoff run, there's enough offense on the floor to blaze through eight playoff wins in April and May.
Boston Celtics vs. Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals (+175)
I'm not breaking any ground predicting this outcome. I called them each title favorites at the start of the season. Both teams are two-way machines and have been the two best teams for the past two regular seasons. Boston has title experience from last year, and having to play a possible Game 7 in the East Finals on the road shouldn't be too intimidating for this group. Heck, the Celtics have a better road record than home record this season and haven't exactly been known for making TD Garden a postseason fortress this decade.
There are more questions Oklahoma City needs to answer after falling in Round 2 as the No. 1 seed in the West last year, but the Thunder have put together a historic regular season based on any traditional or advanced metric you care to look at. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is unstoppable, and their ferocious defense has very few weaknesses to exploit.
This price feels a little bit low when each team needs 12 playoff wins to get there, but I don't know how long this will stay at plus money, especially if each team looks dominant against play-in competition in Round 1.
The postseason is almost here, and with the play-in tournament just days away, now's the time to find value in the futures market. Whether it's taking a swing on the surging Bulls or riding with teams like Minnesota that are peaking at the right time, these bets offer both intrigue and upside. And if you're looking for a bet to cash in a couple months from now, Boston vs. OKC could be a matchup that defines the next era of NBA dominance.