NBA Best Bets: 2 NBA Futures Bets to Target

The halfway point of the 2025-26 NBA season is in the rearview mirror, but there are still plenty of futures markets available via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Which futures look like the best bets to take?

Please note lines are subject to change after this article is published.

NBA Best Bets: Futures Bets to Target

Nikola Jokic to Win MVP (+300)

FanDuel's NBA MVP odds have it being a two-man race between Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-220), which is exactly how things played out last year.

Jokic missed some time not that long ago due to injury, and that pushed SGA ahead in the race, per the odds. But now Jokic is back, and SGA is sidelined. I think this is a good time to pounce on Jokic's MVP odds.

Jokic is going to put up silly numbers; it's a given. He is averaging 28.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game. He's shooting 59.3% from the field and 42.0% from three. I mean, come on.

By box score plus/minus (15.8) and win shares per 48 minutes (.363), Jokic is having the best season of his career.

Of course, SGA is posting monster numbers, too, averaging 31.8 points, 4.4 boards and 6.4 assists. But as good as SGA has been, his advanced stats -- 11.8 box score plus/minus and .336 wins shares per 48 -- are worse than Jokic's.

I'm not totally sure why Gilgeous-Alexander is currently such a significant favorite over Jokic. The two things that pushed SGA ahead in the market -- Jokic being hurt and the Oklahoma City Thunder's insanely hot start to the season -- are no longer a thing, and while SGA definitely has the "best player on the best team" narrative working for him, it's not like the Denver Nuggets are bad.

It may also work in Jokic's favor that SGA edged him out for the award last season. If both he and Gilgeous-Alexander end up being worthy MVP winners this campaign, which is likely going to be the case, some voters may opt think the best way to handle it is to give it to Jokic this time and just split the award over the last two years.

Los Angeles Lakers to Make the Play-In (+200)

The Los Angeles Lakers started the year well, jumping out to a 15-4 record. It's been downhill since, and I think they finish in the play-in spots in the West.

Right now, this market has the Golden State Warriors (-1100), Los Angeles Clippers (-7000) and Portland Trail Blazers (-10000) as heavy favorites to finish in a play-in spot (seventh through 10th in the standings). The fourth play-in slot will likely come down to the Minnesota Timberwolves (+270), Phoenix Suns (-130) and Lakers.

The Lakers -- sitting fifth in the West -- currently own a half-game lead in the standings on the T-Wolves and a 1.5-game lead on Phoenix. To fall into the play-in, they'd likely need to get passed by both Minnesota and Phoenix, and I think that'll happen.

Since that 15-4 start, the Lakers are 17-16, and their underlying numbers point to them being very average, with the Lake Show sitting 16th in net rating on the season. Defense has been the biggest issue as they rank 22nd in defensive rating. The Lakers one noteworthy trade-deadline addition was Luke Kennard, and he's not going to help them defensively.

Minnesota and Phoenix have been better teams than the Lakers -- the Timberwolves are seventh in net rating and the Suns rank 10th. Both the Suns and T-Wolves have quality defenses they can rely on as they are eighth and ninth, respectively, in defensive rating, and you can argue both have better benches than the Lakers do.

The Lakers' saving grace has been their ability to win close games thanks to NBA-best numbers in the clutch. I'm not sure how sticky that is, though, and those clutch-time numbers have probably resulted in the Lakers owning a better record than they actually deserve based on their year-long numbers.

All in all, I'm intrigued by these +200 odds for the Lakers to drop down to seventh in the standings as it's easier for me to trust in the ways the Timberwolves and Suns are winning games.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.