The New York Knicks made one of the most impressive title runs in recent history, going 16-3 with the best net rating (plus-15.5) in playoff history to win the
The New York Knicks and guard Jalen Brunson are fourth in the odds to win the Finals next season. | Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesSo, naturally, you'd expect New York to be in the mix as the favorite to win the title next season, right?
Oddsmakers have set the Knicks at +650 to win a second title in a row, behind the San Antonio Spurs , Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics . Even though New York beat the Spurs in five games in the 2026 Finals, oddsmakers aren't even giving the team the best odds to win the East in the 2026-27 season.
New York played a lot of the postseason with a chip on its shoulder, and it actually entered the 2026 playoffs with worse odds to win the title than it had before the season started. New York was +850 to win the Finals before the season and fell to +1800 before the playoffs. In fact, that number was even longer after it went down two games to one against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
Usually, the defending champion is amongst the top teams in the odds to win the title the next season, and the Knicks are. But, the fact that they're behind Boston and San Antonio by such a wide margin is pretty shocking.
The betting market is clearly expecting improvement from the C's, Thunder and Spurs in the offseason, while the Knicks have a real chance to run things back in the 2026-27 season. New York's entire starting five -- Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns -- is under contract next season, and key bench pieces like Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado are either under contract or likely back on the team.
The big question will come with other bench players like Jordan Clarkson, Landry Shamet and Mitchell Robinson, who are all set to be unrestricted free agents. Robinson will likely command the most in free agency in the offseason, but he's a lifelong Knick that the team may want to bring back as the defensive anchor behind Towns.
Shamet and Clarkson both played the 2025-26 season on minimum deals, and it's possible the Knicks bring back at least one -- if not both -- of those veterans. New York wasn't a second apron team in the 2025-26 season, so it could decide to dip into that to keep this core intact.
Given the Knicks' dominance during their 2026 playoff run, it's a little surprising that they're fourth in the odds with most of this core still in its prime. However, history isn't on the side of a Knicks repeat. There hasn't been a repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, and the Thunder appeared to be the team best equipped to make that happen.
Bettors can get in early at +650, which is a pretty shocking number for a defending champ, but I'd recommend waiting on any NBA futures until we're much closer to the start of the regular season. Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more.
A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.
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