2026 NBA Eastern Conference Early Odds: Can Cavs Get Over the Hump?

Alex Murray
By: Alex Murray
26 Jun 25
NBA Picks
Photo by Wikimedia Commons, CC by 2.0

Photo by Wikimedia Commons, CC by 2.0

The 2024-2025 NBA campaign has had its curtain call, so it’s time to start looking forward to next season. The 2025 NBA Draft has already taken place, so it truly is next season already. The NBA doesn’t waste any time. That also means 2025-2026 NBA futures are up on the board. So let’s dive in!

Today, we’re taking a look at the NBA betting odds for the 2026 Eastern Conference champion. With all of the major injuries plaguing this conference heading into next year, it should be a very interesting race to the Finals on the Atlantic coast.

And to be clear, this is for the team that advances to the Finals from the Eastern Conference, not the No. 1 seed in the regular season. So without further ado, let’s dive into our odds breakdown for the favorites as well as a few long shots to keep an eye on.

Highlights

  • The Cleveland Cavaliers are the odds-on favorites to win the East in 2026
  • Orlando is offering the best value among the favorites
  • A possible major move could make the Raptors a smart early investment

2026 NBA Eastern Conference Champions June Odds & Breakdown - June 25

All odds provided by Betway.

2026 NBA Eastern Conference Champions Odds

PlayerJune 23 Odds
Cleveland Cavaliers+260
New York Knicks+300
Orlando Magic+450
Boston Celtics+500
Philadelphia 76ers+1,200
Detroit Pistons+1,600
Indiana Pacers+1,600
Milwaukee Bucks+2,200
Atlanta Hawks+2,500
Miami Heat+5,500
Toronto Raptors+5,500
Brooklyn Nets+20,000
Chicago Bulls+25,000
Washington Wizards+25,000
Charlotte Hornets+50,000

The Favorites

Cleveland Cavaliers (+260): The Cavaliers disappointed in the playoffs, but they won 60+ games last year, and they’re bringing the same core back. That means more chemistry and more experience. Not many other Eastern teams can say that. Yet still, we’re not confident in this roster in the playoffs apart from Spida. Especially not at these odds.

New York Knicks (+300): Another team that managed not to get nicked by that devilish injury bug during the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Knicks have a great chance to make up for last year’s blunders in the East Finals. But again, we can’t quite get enough juice out of the squeeze of this Big Apple at those odds.

Orlando Magic (+450): This is our favorite pick on the board. At +450 odds on most Ontario sportsbooks, it’s not quite as much value as we would have hoped. However, this young core had the worst injury luck last year and still made the playoffs. That bad injury luck won’t repeat itself twice in a row. With the deck cleared for them in 2025-2026, they could take a major step.

Boston Celtics (+500): The Celtics won a championship just a year ago, and now it seems they’re getting set for a rebuild. They’re making moves left and right to get under the luxury tax with star Jayson Tatum likely to miss most of next season. And while the fact that they will finally be rid of that championship pressure could work in their favor, we don’t see them having enough to get deeper than they did in 2025 with Tatum.

Long Shot Value Bets

  • Detroit Pistons (+1,600): After the Magic, this is the bet we like most on this board. And they’re offering three times more value than Orlando. Cade Cunningham is about to become a bonafide MVP candidate, and the Pistons earned valuable playoff experience last year.
  • Toronto Raptors (+5,500): This is the longest of long shots. But if the Raptors find a way to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, they instantly become contenders to win the conference. And the odds won’t be anything close to +5,500 at that point.
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Alex is a recent graduate of Ryerson's Sport Media program in 2019 and has been contributing to BettingTop10 since 2020. He has worked in the field of sports and sports betting for several years, including writing for theScore and daily fantasy sports website FantasyPros as one of their lead NBA news writers. A dedicated sports fan and experienced sports bettor, Alex has the knowledge to provide you with the best betting advice and the sneakiest props no matter what the sport may be.