Cavaliers Playoff Betting Odds & Best Future Bets

The Cleveland Cavaliers come into this 2023 season with a level of excitement we haven't seen since the King returned home.

New addition Donovan Mitchell brings a backcourt threat to pair with emerging star Darius Garland. In a year that feels like the Cavs made all the right moves, they still fall out of the top 10 in odds to win a second championship.

Betting Odds & Expectations

The Cavs currently sit at (+3300) to win the Finals. Immediately ahead of them sits the Dallas Mavericks, and immediately below the Cavs is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who also made a splash trade with the Utah Jazz.

While I still think it's too early to tag the Cavs as a championship pick, I would not be surprised to see those odds improve as the season progresses.

Using last season as a measuring stick, anything short of a playoff berth would be a failure for the Cavs. Last season, the Cavs finished 44-38. This record got them to the playoffs, but one could also hypothesize how differently the season would've ended if the Cavs had been able to stay healthy.

In years pasts, a 50-win season would be the benchmark for a successful playoff berth, but the oddsmakers have the Cavs' win total at 47.5 wins.

This is surprising, considering how much better the team got on paper, but it is a testament to how hard it is to win games in this league. There will be a learning curve for this team, but betting the over on the Cavs' win total is very enticing.

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has depth and eager defensive-minded players, so we expect the Cavs to come out swinging in the first half of the season. Last season, the Cavs were money line favorites in 40 games and finished with an impressive 29-11 record in those games they were favored in.

Player Future Bets

Looking at some future bets for players, two stick out as criminally underrated. Evan Mobley is (+2000) to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Mobley, a rookie last year, averaged 1.7 blocks a game and pulled in about eight rebounds. If Mobley takes the next step, it's safe to say he can get those numbers up. This currently gives him the 7th best odds and has him ahead of Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid.

Even more shocking is that Mobley's frontcourt mate and overall brick wall, Jarrett Allen, has worse odds. Allen currently sits at (+3000) to win DPOY.

Allen averages just over a block a game and pulls in double-digit rebounding numbers. There's a case to be made that voters may snub both defensive freaks because they play on the same team.

Team Future Bets

I think it's a fair expectation that the Cavs finish above their odds right now in all that I have mentioned. The win total over line seems to be the best bet if I had to make one right now. If Cleveland can avoid injuries, they will be contenders.

While a finals trip may be a year away, the Cavs should expect a top-four seed as well as a deep playoff run. Kevin Love can once again fight for a 6th Man of the Year vote, and J.B. Bickerstaff's odds for Coach of the Year are steadily improving.