Clippers' 2026 NBA Finals Odds Remain Average Despite James Harden Returning

The Los Angeles Clippers are just +4000 to win the NBA Finals in the 2025-26 season.

The Los Angeles Clippers are just +4000 to win the NBA Finals in the 2025-26 season. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers and star guard James Harden reportedly are staying together.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Harden intends to sign a two-year, $81.5 million deal and bypass his player option for the 2025-26 season.

BREAKING: 11-time NBA All-Star James Harden is declining his player option and intends to sign a new two-year, $81.5 million contract to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/qQMwkkMjMs

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2025

Despite Harden returning to Los Angeles, the Clippers remain at +4000 in the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the title next season.

Now, this could be due to the fact that oddsmakers expected Harden to return to Los Angeles all along, but still this price doesn't exactly reflect one of a team that was a top-five seed in the Western Conference in the 2024-25 campaign.

The Clippers have the eighth-best odds to win it all out of any Western Conference team, sitting behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs in the latest odds.

While Harden may no longer be an MVP candidate, he was a massive part of the team's success in the 2024-25 season. Harden helped the Clippers stay afloat without Kawhi Leonard to start the season, and he finished the campaign averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game.

Harden appeared in 79 games for the Clippers, although his shooting did take a hit, as he finished the season at 41.0 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from 3.

The Clippers bringing Harden back signals that they still plan to contend in a loaded Western Conference, even if oddsmakers don't think they'll be a title contender. It's worth noting that the Clippers weren't expected to be a playoff team last season, yet they finished with the No. 5 seed in the West.

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