By Jason McIntyre
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
The 2022-2023 NBA season is shaping up to be an extremely exciting and competitive one. And now that we’re a few days into free agency, we’ve seen some big trades rock the league.
Bettors, however, should know that there are 12 teams that can legitimately be considered contenders.
Of those 12, nine of them have reached the conference finals or beyond over the last three seasons. If you don’t mind tying up some of your bankroll for 11 months, I’ve got three teams who offer some real value.
One potential move still teasing NBA fans and gamblers involves Kevin Durant. The Nets‘ superstar officially asked to be traded from Brooklyn but where KD might land is still an unknown. He is a huge domino, and his movement could change the entire landscape of the league.
So with the 2022 NBA Draft in the books, let’s hit some early futures bets.
LA Clippers: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Coming off an injury-plagued season where Kawhi Leonard played zero games, the Clippers overachieved by playing as well as they did. Now going into this upcoming season, you can argue they now have the best roster in the NBA from players one through 12. Especially after signing John Wall.
LAC’s big is Ivica Zubac, as they just lost Isaiah Hartenstein to the New York Knicks. Zu just re-signed for $33 million, so we know he’ll still be on the roster next year, and that position is where the Clips have some questions.
Is Zubac the answer for when the team has to face Nikola Jokić, Anthony Davis, or Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns?
Even if he is not and they don’t add at big, you have to remember that the playoffs are still driven primarily by wing play. And with Paul George and Leonard, the Clippers are loaded on the wing, especially when you have Robert Covington and Norman Powell to provide depth. And if Wall can be a semblance of his old self, lookout!
Overall, this will be the fourth year of the Leonard-George union. The first year ended in disappointment when the team lost to the Denver Nuggets in the second round after leading 3-1. The second year ended when the Clippers lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Phoenix Suns. Leonard missed that series against Phoenix because he got injured the series before. And then with both Leonard and George injured last year, the season was basically a wash. The two combined to play just 31 games, and after finishing the regular season as an 8-seed, LA lost its play-in games and missed the playoffs.
So why the bet now? If this roster is healthy, that +700 will be cut in half by the All-Star break next year.
Philadelphia 76ers: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)
As someone who has been extremely critical of Joel Embiid, there’s enough value on the 76ers at +1500 that you have to grab a bite.
Embiid has never been to the conference finals; James Harden has a rich history of playoff meltdowns. And we don’t need to rehash Doc Rivers blowing more 3-1 playoff leads than any other coach in the history of the sport.
All that being said, the East is weaker than the West, Tyrese Maxey is emerging as a reliable second scoring option, and the move to add De’Anthony Melton as a backup combo guard will prove critical in the playoffs. And, there is always the possibility that the Sixers are not done retooling the roster yet. What if they take a big swing for KD?
Embiid always delivers during the regular season, and we’ve seen Harden do the same in the past. If Harden can get back to his old self and Embiid can stay healthy, you won’t see 76ers +1500 again.
Denver Nuggets: +1700 (bet $10 to win $180 total)
The Nuggets are the most mispriced team in the NBA.
We haven’t seen Denver at full strength since the NBA Bubble playoffs in 2020. Jamal Murray was hurt late in the 2021 season, and then Denver lost in the second round to the Suns. In 2022, the Nuggets didn’t have Murray or Michael Porter Jr. when they lost to the Warriors. Offensively, though, they are set. The only question is if they can get stops in the playoffs.
Aaron Gordon will play a pivotal role, as will Bones Hyland. Even rookie Christian Braun, who started 74 games at Kansas in three seasons, could crack the rotation. And they added veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who can shoot and fill ad defensive need via trade on Wednesday.
This feels like a 55-win team that will be a tough out in the playoffs if the stars can remain healthy. At 17-1, they are absolutely worth a sprinkle.
Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, “Coming Up Winners,” in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.
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