Why Are the Oklahoma City Thunder Overwhelming Favorites to Win the 2025-26 NBA Title in a Bizarre New League?

OKC was the second-favorite in the preseason to win the title, behind last year’s NBA champion, the Boston Celtics. The Thunder tied with the 1997 Chicago Bulls for the third-most regular-season and playoff wins in a season (84), and had the second-best regular-season net rating ever.  

Also, Oklahoma City is the favorite to repeat because of uncertainty about its competition. Houston has the second-best odds after trading for Kevin Durant, and we’ve seen how that’s played out at KD’s other stops. The Knicks still don’t have a head coach. Cleveland can’t get past the second round. Minnesota has a “Rudy Gobert problem.” The Los Angeles Lakers (+1400) have no size. 

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