By Jason McIntyre
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
The 2022-2023 NBA season is shaping up to be an extremely exciting and competitive one. And now that we’re a few days into free agency, we’ve seen some big trades rock the league.
Bettors, however, should know that there are 12 teams that can legitimately be considered contenders.
Of those 12, nine of them have reached the conference finals or beyond over the last three seasons. If you don’t mind tying up some of your bankroll for 11 months, I’ve got three teams who offer some real value.
One potential move still teasing NBA fans and gamblers involves Kevin Durant. The Nets‘ superstar officially asked to be traded from Brooklyn but where KD might land is still an unknown. He is a huge domino, and his movement could change the entire landscape of the league.
So with the 2022 NBA Draft in the books, let’s hit some early futures bets.
LA Clippers: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Coming off an injury-plagued season where Kawhi Leonard played zero games, the Clippers overachieved by playing as well as they did. Now going into this upcoming season, you can argue they now have the best roster in the NBA from players one through 12. Especially after signing John Wall.
LAC’s big is Ivica Zubac, as they just lost Isaiah Hartenstein to the New York Knicks. Zu just re-signed for $33 million, so we know he’ll still be on the roster next year, and that position is where the Clips have some questions.
Is Zubac the answer for when the team has to face Nikola Jokić, Anthony Davis, or Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns?
Even if he is not and they don’t add at big, you have to remember that the playoffs are still driven primarily by wing play. And with Paul George and Leonard, the Clippers are loaded on the wing, especially when you have Robert Covington and Norman Powell to provide depth. And if Wall can be a semblance of his old self, lookout!
Overall, this will be the fourth year of the Leonard-George union. The first year ended in disappointment when the team lost to the Denver Nuggets in the second round after leading 3-1. The second year ended when the Clippers lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Phoenix Suns. Leonard missed that series against Phoenix because he got injured the series before. And then with both Leonard and George injured last year, the season was basically a wash. The two combined to play just 31 games, and after finishing the regular season as an 8-seed, LA lost its play-in games and missed…
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