The NBA season isn’t as far away as it feels! With a little over a month until the start of the regular season, it’s the perfect time to jump on some early NBA lines! Get in on the action before the training camp hype trains leave the station and the lines start to move. We have some of our favorite futures lines for the Western Conference here. So sit down and prepare for the early season predictions to kick off!
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OKC is by far and away the favorite in the Western Conference this year. The roster has only improved after winning a conference-leading 57 games last season last year. Adding Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein to fill in their remaining roster flaws. This team will be ruthless on both court sides, with top-level defense and offense. The emergence of SGA as a superstar has made this team one of the most exciting and dangerous in the league. We expect them to run the Western Conference if everything goes to plan and they avoid any major injury. The line is currently sitting at +125 for the over, which is fair in this tough Western Conference, but they can stand out.
Minnesota may have disappointed in the Western Conference Finals last year, but every good team needs to take their lumps to learn. This roster has only improved since the addition of NBA superstar Anthony Edwards. He is a do-it-all player with a chip on his shoulder that makes him an elite competitor. The rest of this roster is no joke, either. They have talent from top to bottom and a size that almost no other team can match. Karl Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid make it challenging to do anything inside. A deep bench full of talent makes them a versatile matchup, and we think they’ll stand out again this regular season. Considering the win total is three games less than what they won last year, the over feels solid here at -105.
Denver may have been a victim of their success. Even with the best basketball player in the world, Nikola Jokic, the rest of the team has suffered a talent drain since their NBA championship. They have lost key players and have been forced to rely increasingly on young talent to cover the gaps. Not that they haven’t done a great job finding some excellent young players, but we could see them take a small step back in the regular season this year. Especially considering Jamal Murray’s Olympic performance, there are reasons to think this team may have peaked. I'm not saying they can’t make a deep run in the playoffs, as they will undoubtedly land a high seed regardless. We could see them land close to this line at 50 or 49 wins this year. The line is currently at -115 for the under which we like.
After an inspiring win in the Western Conference Finals, they struggled against an elite Boston team in the finals. After making some significant additions in the regular season last year in Washington and Gafford, they continued the trend in the off-season with Klay Thompson. Thompson will help provide an extra shooter to spread the floor for Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. However, we expect a finals hangover for a roster that struggled at points in the regular season last year. This Mavericks team also has few options to improve the roster meaningfully. They lack tradable contracts or picks to fill in gaps in the regular seasons this year. We expect them to show up for the playoffs again, but 50 wins feels tough in a loaded west. The line is currently at +100 for the under, so jump on this early.
Memphis had the most disappointing year in the league last year. After struggling heavily with injuries all year last year, they ended at 27 wins. That landed them the 9th pick in the NBA draft, where they selected Purdue big man Zach Edey. Edey will help fill the hole left behind by Steven Adams, who was a crucial part of their success the year prior. They also added Marcus Smart, the former defensive player of the year last year. This team is set up to have a bounce-back year, but there are too many moving pieces for us to feel good about the over. They will probably be a top seed in the west, with what might be a top-three defense in the league. The questions surrounding health remain too concerning to believe they’ll be able to add 20+ wins to their total this year. So, at -110 for the under, we’d lean that way.
The Kings were the darling of the West in the 2022-23 season, finally breaking their streak of missing the playoffs. Last year, however, they weren’t as fortunate with the injury bug. Key players missed games or played through injuries. They did add NBA star Demar DeRozan, who will be a pivotal addition to help with a lack of scoring from the forward position. This team has a ton of talent, with Keegan Murray, Sabonis, and Fox. They have a fun and explosive roster that will win some games this year. We don’t think they added enough to pull away from the pack. Especially with their rookie addition, Devin Carter, who already underwent surgery to fix a torn labrum. In such a tight-packed conference, we think the Kings will do well but not pull away from the pack meaningfully this year. The under line is currently at -120, which feels appropriate.
The Warriors are another challenging team to call. They still have Curry, the savior of the USA men's Olympic team this year. Even though he is in his mid-30s now, his scoring ability is still elite. The roster around him will look different this year as Klay's long-term partner finally moves on. Losing Klay might not be as big of a deal as it feels. Klay struggled to find his role on a Warriors team that desperately needed him to return to his old form. Ultimately, he couldn’t. His absence may open up some much-needed minutes for the young underlying core of Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski. The Warriors still have room to make a trade, too. If they can add a big man, this roster could be more robust than last year. We like the Warriors as a sneaky over, and at plus +100, they’re our highest-odds pick here.
Phoenix has one of the most star-studded rosters in the league, with a massive gap between star and role player. The team struggled with injuries and general cohesion. As their first entire season playing together it looked awkward at times. We hope to see that smooth out this year with a new head coach in Mike Budenholzer. They also landed on the steals of free agency with Tyus Jones, who we expect to help the offensive flow greatly. This team still scored 49 wins last year, so this is a strong line at 47.5. In this case, we just believe in talent for talent's sake. We don’t think this is a deep playoff team, but they should rack up the wins this year.
The Pelicans have struggled to put all the pieces together for a while now. Injuries have been a killer for such a young team, and they just haven’t been able to get over the top in the playoffs. We think they’re in a better position this year. That is not to say there aren’t any questions surrounding this roster. Brandon Ingram remains high on our list of players who are concerned. He has struggled to play more than 60 games for his entire time in New Orleans. He’s been in trade talks all summer while on an expiring contract. He is a massive wild card for the success of this roster. However, the Pels have done well in building out the roster, and adding Dejounte Murray will help tremendously with homegrown prospects Trey Murphy and Herb Jones rounding out a talented core of players. Zion Williams will be the most important player, though. If he can stay healthy, this team could do very well. The Pels also possess a substantial war chest of assets to make mid-season moves. This may be risky, but if the pieces finally come together this year, they should be influential in the West.
Houston might be one of the most challenging on this list. On the one hand, they have a roster loaded with talent, including the number 3 pick in the draft, Reed Sheppard. Along with one of the best head coaches in the league under Ime Udoka and trade assets to make moves. On the other hand, there are a ton of moving pieces with this roster. Players like Jalen Green have been fantastic at times but have also been unplayable at others. Overall, the age of this roster is something that concerns us. It could take time to figure out the best lineups out of this roster. There is a solid chance they figure it out or make a trade for an impact player, but we’ll have to see. At this point, we’ll hedge with the under at 43.5 just because there is so much uncertainty about this team. Regardless, this roster will be fun to watch every night, and we think they have a bright future in the league!
The Clippers had a rough off-season, losing Paul George to Philadelphia in free agency. George was a pivotal piece to the regular season success of this team. As Kawhi Leonard has been unavailable for tons of games, this team might struggle with George gone. However, they did make some sneaky pickups in free agency themselves. They managed to pull Derrick Jones Jr. away from Dallas, Batum from the 6ers, and Kris Dunn through a trade. All three of these guys have been sneaky great defenders as role players elsewhere in the league. There is a chance this veteran-laden team could be a top defense in the regular season and sneak some wins that way. Especially with James Harden as the lead offensive weapon, the Clippers have a chance to beat this win total. We wouldn’t take them going far in the playoffs, but we think they’ll clean up against bad teams while going close to even with better competition. We’ll see, but at -105 odds, it’s a fine line to toss a few bucks at.
The Lakers have yet to do much with the off-season this year, not adding anyone impactful in free agency. They only added rookie Dalton Knecht from Tennessee through the draft. Knecht might have his work cut out for him, though, as the Lakers will likely depend on the first-year player for shooting early in the season. The Lakers were able to pull out 47 wins last year, but that was with a remarkably healthy year from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Something that we can’t say we expect again this year. This team is counting on everything coming together and avoiding almost all injuries to have a chance at the playoffs in an elite West. We’re not so confident that can happen, though. Unless the Lakers make a mid-season or late off-season trade, we still don’t see this roster fairing this year. If there is one thing to say about the Lakers, it is that LeBron James is still an elite player, carrying Team USA in the Olympics. So it’s always hard to bet against him, but this under line at -115 feels like a strong take.
Victor Wembanyama proved he was well worth the hype last year as the number one pick overall had an elite rookie year. The 7’5 center from France looks like he could be the next great to play in the league. The Spurs made some solid moves to help the young player, adding vets like Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes as stabilizers on a young team. Beyond that, the core group of young guys has been solid, and we expect this young roster to improve from last year. The only question is, how good can they be? As we’ve been saying, this Western Conference will be tough! Especially for young teams, we think it will be hard to find wins this year. The line is set to be 14 wins higher than where they finished last year. That is a fair increase, but seeing them push above that number is difficult. It’s not impossible, but in an elite draft class this year, we could see the Spurs pull back on the reins to improve their draft odds again. The line is currently at -105, so jump on it if you see it around that number still!
Utah is in a weird spot this year. They have a middle-of-the-road roster. Lauri Markkenen signed an extension that will have him in Utah all year. Beyond Lauri, this team is a hodgepodge of youth and vets. It’s not a bad roster, but if it feels directionless, We expect them to tank at the end of the year to have a shot at landing another elite prospect. But in the last couple of years, Utah has surprised early by stealing some wins. We expect them to come out playing strong early again this year, but we don’t know when they’ll pull off the gas. Nor do we know if they will trade any players to add even more to their massive war chest. Either way, 30 wins feels like a high mark, considering losing a few more games could increase their draft odds. The Jazz will be a team to watch early, but we don’t expect any playoff push this year. The under should be a great bet right now at -120.
Portland will undoubtedly be the worst team in the West this year. They have a team full of young talent that isn’t ready to compete. With almost no reason or ability to compete this year, they’ll be the punching bag of the West. Even at the win total of 21.5, they’ll probably be among the least-winning teams in the league. Especially with constant trade rumors surrounding their two most productive players, Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons. There is a high chance one or both will be off the roster by the end of the season. We expect a hard tank out of Portland this year. They will be chasing a top draft pick over winning games. That’s all we have to say about this team unless they surprise the world. Take the under here at -125 and check in with the team during the draft lottery selection in May.
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