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

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 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
| Player | June 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.
Must be 19+ to participate, T&Cs apply, Play responsibly: connexontario.ca
Alex Murray has been a consistent presence on BettingTop10 since he joined the team in 2020 just after graduating from Ryerson University’s Sport Media program in 2019. He has written for publications including theScore, Sporting News, FanSided, FantasyPros, and more over his 6+ years in the field. Alex has also been a lifelong athlete and sports fan who has channeled that love into his entertaining writing style and shrewd betting strategies.

NBA ROY 2026 Betting Odds Update: Which Duke Youngster Takes It?
With about a quarter of the season remaining, the race for the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year has become one of the two-horse variety. But which Duke alumni will it be: Kon Knueppel or Cooper Flagg? We dive into the NBA betting odds and give you our best bet!

NBA DPOY 2026 Betting Odds: Can Anyone Catch Wemby?
We’re coming down the home stretch of the 2025-2026 NBA regular season, and there’s one award that seems all but locked up: Defensive Player of the Year. We examine the betting odds and analyse whether it’s worth placing a bet on anyone but the favorite, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.

2026 NBA Finals Champion Post-All-Star Break Betting Odds & Best Bets
We’re into the stretch run of this NBA season after getting through All-Star break. After all of the trades, which teams are now favored to go all the way to become 2026 NBA champions? Check out the betting favorites as well as our best bets on this NBA futures market!

