With the NBA season over, it's already time to start looking forward to 2026-27.
On Saturday night, the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs to win the organization's first NBA title in more than 50 years. The crew, led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, exhibited great toughness and perhaps showed a new blueprint for the Boston Celtics to follow moving forward in their effort to win the title in 2026-27.
But according to the people at DraftKings, maybe the Celtics don't need a blueprint. According to DraftKings, the C's have the third-best odds to win the title next season, and they have the best odds of any Eastern Conference team.
Why is that exactly?
The return of Jayson Tatum
The Celtics went 56-26 this past season and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs while spending most of the campaign without their best player. Tatum played in just 16 regular season games, so it's clearly being assumed that having him for a full year will pay major dividends for the organization.
Possible trade for Giannis
The Celtics are good no matter what, and the oddsmakers know it, but if they acquire Giannis from the Milwaukee Bucks, they'll really be the favorites in the Eastern Conference. The oddsmakers are making sure they don't leave the public any chances to pick up excess value.
Other questions in the Eastern Conference
The Celtics undoubtedly benefit from some uncertainty in their conference. What will the Cavaliers do with Donovan Mitchell, who is a free agent? Will they make a big trade of someone like Evan Mobley?
How will Tyrese Haliburton return from his torn Achilles for the Indiana Pacers? What will the Bucks do with Giannis? How will the Pistons follow up their season after earning the No. 1 seed this past season?
There are no real certainties in this offseason, which bodes well for the Celtics odds as well.
Also for the Celtics
The NBA Draft begins on June 23 and the Celtics currently have picks No. 27 and No. 40. They've been linked to multiple prospects, including UConn's Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr., as well as North Carolina's Henri Veesaar.
Also, if the Celtics are to trade for Giannis, they'd likely have to give up Jaylen Brown in the deal. We examined how Brown should feel about the whole situation in a piece earlier this week.
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