The 2022-23 NBA regular season is nearly here, which is a welcome sight for Chicago sports fans.
The Chicago Bulls are coming off a 46-36 campaign and were one of the bigger surprises in the NBA last year. Now the key will be building on that momentum, even if Lonzo Ball remains sidelined to start the season.
Let’s take a look at the Bulls’ futures prices entering the new season and what to make of it. Betting odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, which is the official odds partner of Bet Chicago Sports.
Division winner odds
Before we look too far ahead, everything starts with the division. And the Central division continues to run through Milwaukee.
The Bucks, who have finished atop the division standings in each of the last four years, are -245 at Caesars Sportsbook to continue that streak. The last time the Bucks didn’t finish first in this division was during the 2017-18 season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best chance to threaten the Bucks, as they are priced at +260 to win this division. The Cavs have not finished higher than third in this division since Lebron James left town, but this team is coming off a 44-38 campaign.
Coming in at +900, the Bulls are not expected to be in the mix with those two teams. A $100 bet would net you $900 at the current odds, but the Bulls have not won their division since the 2011-12 campaign.
Rounding out the group, the Detroit Pistons (+10000) and the Indiana Pacers (+35000) are both considered long shots.
Conference winner odds
The Boston Celtics represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals last year and are favored to replicate that showing. They are priced at +285 to win the Eastern Conference, though both the Bucks (+310) and Brooklyn Nets (+350) are in the mix.
After them, the Philadelphia 76ers (+650) and Miami Heat (+850) make up the next tier. The Heat made it to the NBA Finals during the bubble year, but have yet to get back since losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Chicago Bulls, who are +2500 to win the Eastern Conference, are eighth in odds. The Cavaliers (+1200), Raptors (+2000) and Hawks (+2200) all have better odds than the Bulls in this market.
No other team in the Eastern Conference has better than 50/1 odds, however.
NBA championship odds
Considering the Bulls have long odds to even get to the finals, it should be no surprise where they stand in the NBA championship market.
The Bulls enter the year with +6500 odds to win the NBA title, a feat they haven’t accomplished since 1998. A total of 17 different teams have better odds of winning the championship this season than the Bulls, according to Caesars Sportsbook.