OKC Thunder Hold Second Highest NBA Championship Odds After Offseason Acquisitions

FanDuel SportsBook, a popular sports betting service, tabbed Oklahoma City as one of the league's primary championship contenders this season.

May 18, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) reacts after scoring against the Dallas Mavericks / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder shocked the NBA world by winning 57 games and taking the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

While OKC had been a solid group the year before, another offseason of internal development and the emergence of Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace helped Mark Daigneault and company accelerate the team's rebuild.

Despite a successful season in 2023-24, the Thunder were ultimately defeated by the Dallas Mavericks in six games before the Western Conference Finals. After the loss to Luka Doncic and company, Sam Presti and Oklahoma City's front office addressed a few glaring holes on the team's roster.

Now, just a few months after losing to Dallas, OKC has the second best odds to win an NBA title in 2025 behind only the defending champion Boston Celtics, according to FanDuel SportsBook. Additionally, the Celtics and Thunder are the odds on favorites to matchup in the finals at +850 with a rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals coming in at No. 2 with +1200 odds.

FanDuel SportsBook odds as of 7/31/24 / sportsbook.fanduel.com

This strong belief in the Thunder from betting services comes on the heels of what looks to be a successful offseason for Oklahoma City.

After former No. 6 overall pick Josh Giddey was benched in the playoffs, Presti and company were able to find a new home for the young point guard in return for one of the top "3&D" players in the league, Alex Caruso.

Caruso averaged a career-high 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and one block per game in 2023-24 while shooting over 40% from 3-point range. Caruso was a member of the NBA All-Defensive Team for the second consecutive season and now joins a group of other vicious perimeter defenders in Lu Dort, Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams.

The Thunder also had trouble matching up with the Mavericks size in the postseason last year and needed to get a heavier interior presence to help with paint defense and rebounding.

Enter free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein, who left the New York Knicks and signed a three-year, $87 million deal in the Modern Frontier. Listed at 7-feet tall and 250 pounds, Hartenstein has the size and strength to handle bulky big men that could give Chet Holmgren trouble while also giving the team a ferocious rebounder.

While Hartenstein doesn't shoot the ball from deep very often, he is a good midrange scorer and an excellent passer, making him a near-perfect fit for Daigneault's offense.

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