Fresh off the back of a sensational 4-3 series win in the NBA finals, Oklahoma City Thunder are basking in the glory of being crowned the 2025 NBA champions.
A season packed with thrills and spills, Thunder finally held their nerve, overcoming the Indiana Pacers in a compelling 7-game series, sparking wild scenes of celebration in the Sooner State.
While Thunder will be celebrating over the coming weeks and months, the cyclical nature of top level basketball sees sports betting enthusiasts and bookmakers turn their attention to next season already.
Ante-post betting odds are already available on the 2026 NBA season, using sportsbook promos and with big name trades set to be made in the off-season, the next campaign is already starting to take shape for many franchises.
With their first NBA title in the bag since 1979, Oklahoma City Thunder will be looking to defend their NBA championship crown in 2026 but inevitably, the chasing pack will be desperate to improve and close the gap, pursuing NBA glory of their own.
Back to back for Thunder?
The Golden State Warriors were the last side to win consecutive NBA titles, in 2017 and 2018 and just under a decade on, Oklahoma City Thunder will be looking to do the same.
Led by the talismanic Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are a team seriously going places and having held their nerve to clinch the NBA title against the Indiana Pacers, they could kick on even more in 2026.
With the likes of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren also having come of age this season, head coach Mark Daigneault has a young, hungry and successful roster of players to oversee.
Legacies in the NBA are never easy to curate, especially winning ones but Oklahoma City Thunder look to have the credentials to be a leading light again next season in the NBA and they could be tough to stop.
LA Lakers to make their move?
Oklahoma City Thunder may well be taking home the plaudits for their superb campaign in 2025, but most column inches were filled by the move of Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the LA Lakers.
The Slovene superstar has settled in pretty well in Los Angeles, alongside NBA legend LeBron James and onlookers will be eager to see how their fledgling partnership develops over the course of the 2026 season.
Not only have the LA Lakers failed to win an NBA title since 2020 but they have also struggled to maintain any realistic challenge across a whole season since, with result consistency a key issue for all associated with the club.
They do have some incredible personnel in their ranks though and if they can get it together for a whole season, they could be a very tough side to stop.
Cleveland Cavaliers to come up clutch?
From a relative position of uncertainty heading into the 2025 campaign, the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to sustain a much higher level of consistency than many people expected.
Reaching the Eastern Conference semi-finals was a real marker in the sand for the Cavs and while they came up short against the Indiana Pacers, they have plenty to build upon next season.
They appear to be in the hunt for some big trades and with Donovan Mitchell on their roster, they will be fancying their chances of kicking on again in 2026.
Big names on the move
As the dust settles on the 2025 season, some significant movers and shakers are looking to secure the services of some of the biggest figures in the NBA.
With Kevin Durant having already sealed his move from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets, the inevitable merry-go-round of trades looks to be on the horizon this summer.
Jalen Green looks to be a more than capable replacement for Durant at the Suns, while Anfernee Simons is on his way to the Boston Celtics.
In addition to the already established trades taking place in the off-season, the 2025 NBA draft has a particularly pertinent look to it, and it should shape plenty of campaigns in 2026.
The Dallas Mavericks will have first pick, with number 1 top prospect Cooper Flagg seemingly on his way to the American Airlines Centre, while the futures of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper are sure to generate plenty of scrutiny.