Central Division Odds for 2025-26 NBA Season (Cavaliers Are Runaway Favorites)

No team is expected to keep up with Cleveland this year.

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers are heavily favored to win the Central Division in 2025-26. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers cruised to a first-place finish in the Central Division last season and it appears like the same thing could happen in 2025-26. The Cavs are massive -350 favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook ahead of the season and the rest of the teams in the hunt are longshots for obvious reasons. 

Only the Oklahoma City Thunder won more games than the Cavs last season and Cleveland is bringing back a trio of All-Stars that includes the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Injuries have ravaged other would-be contenders, but we’ll go over their outlooks anyway.

Here’s a look at the latest odds and a breakdown for every team in the Central Division ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. 

Central Division Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Cleveland Cavaliers: -350
• Detroit Pistons: +500
• Milwaukee Bucks: +1200
• Indiana Pacers: +3500
• Chicago Bulls: +10000

Cleveland’s implied probability to win the division is 77.8 percent as the odds-on favorite.

Detroit would have to pull off an impressive surge to the top after finishing 20-games behind the Cavaliers last season.

Cleveland Cavaliers

What’s not to like about Cleveland? The Cavs finished with the league’s top-ranked offense last season and averaged 121.9 points per game. Donovan Mitchell led the way on offense with 24.0 points per game, but six of his teammates averaged double-digits alongside him.

Mitchell pairs well with another All-Star guard in Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter’s midseason addition last season only improved the team’s offensive potential.

Evan Mobley tallied a career-high 18.7 points per game during his DPOY campaign and Jarrett Allen is no slouch as a one-time All-Star who serves as an elite rebounder and dynamic shot blocker.

Sam Merrill, Dean Wade and Larry Nance Jr. are more than serviceable as backups and Lonzo Ball can add another layer of depth if he puts together a healthy season after returning from a two-year hiatus last year. Cleveland is definitely the team to beat.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons don’t appear to have made any major improvements after finishing fourth in their division in 2024-25, but have an opportunity to pass up other squads that have fallen by the wayside thanks to the growth of their young core.

Cade Cunningham is coming off a career year in which he recorded personal bests in points per game (26.1) and assists per game (9.1) before being named an All-Star for the first time. He’ll get to run it back with a similar supporting cast in 2025-26.

Malik Beasley’s future is up in the air after his offseason investigation regarding sports betting allegations, but his return hasn’t been ruled out. His outside shooting can still give Detroit’s offense plenty of room to operate next to Jaden Ivey and Duncan Robinson.

Cunningham can set the table well for a team that’s mostly composed of up-and-coming players, but one All-Star doesn’t quite stack up to Cleveland’s arsenal.

Milwaukee Bucks

It’s hard to know what people should expect from the new-look Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo is still the anchor of the team, but his sidekick appears to be Myles Turner following Damian Lillard’s return to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Brook Lopez is a Los Angeles Clipper and Khris Middleton is a Washington Wizard. Bettors shouldn’t have faith in Kyle Kuzma being a valid third option for a team with division title aspirations. Especially after the team finished 16 games behind Cleveland with a better roster last year.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers’ expected drop in quality might not be too bad this year. Tyrese Haliburton is set to miss all of the 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles in the 2025 NBA Finals and Turner was a key two-way contributor before signing with the Bucks.

Indiana actually has a solid roster that’s capable of winning plenty of games with Pascal Siakam as the leading scorer. Aaron Nembhard and TJ McConnell carried the Pacers’ backcourt at times during their title run. Benedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith are competent wings who can get hot at any moment.

The Pacers can stay afloat if they address their glaring hole at center, as Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman likely aren’t ideal options. Both suffered Achilles tears in 2024-25. Indiana is well coached but lost too many key pieces to be considered as Central Division contenders at this point.

Chicago Bulls

It’s not surprising to see that the Bulls are expected to finish last in their division again. Coby White and Josh Giddey appear to have been given the keys now that Zach LaVine is with the Sacramento Kings.

Chicago had a respectable offense, but its three-guard lineups lacked physicality on defense. That’s something that won’t fly against teams who frequently depend on aggressive drives from players like Antetokounmpo, Siakam and Cunningham.

The Bulls have young talent but don’t have enough of a sense of direction or depth. There’s no use in wasting your money on this massive underdog.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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