NBA Oddsmaker Dishes on Rockets' Jump in Finals Odds: Durant 'Single-Most Impactful Move'

The Houston Rockets have moved up in the odds to win the title, sitting as high as +700 at one sportsbook.

The Rockets are a contender to win the title with Kevin Durant, according to the latest betting odds. / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Kevin Durant is in, and the Houston Rockets' NBA Finals odds are soaring.

Houston has thrived in the offseason, trading for Durant while giving up every little thing in future assets, while also adding veterans Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela to an already loaded roster. The Rockets saw their odds soar after the Durant trade, and they've moved even further at some sportsbooks this offseason.

Houston is +700 at DraftKings to win the title -- the second-best odds in the NBA -- and it's +800 at BetMGM Sportsbook to win it all in the 2025-26 season.

NBA handicapper Jeff Sherman, the vice president of risk at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, recently spoke to Yahoo! Sports about the Rockets and the decision to boost their odds in the futures market.

"I had opened them at 12-1 when we first got going, anticipating they were going to be aggressive, and they’re currently at +800," Sherman said. "Adding Clint Capela, Durant, extending Steven Adams, signing Fred VanVleet, they've done nothing but positive things. I’ve always liked the direction under head coach Ime Udoka. They've also had the single-most impactful move with the Durant trade. They needed someone to close games, but Durant going there attracts other players like Capela and Finney-Smith."

Durant fixes the biggest issue the Rockets had in the 2024-25 season, as they struggled to find offense down the stretch of games, especially in the playoffs. Houston had one of the worst clutch-time field goal percentages in the 2024-25 season, but it has now added a two-time NBA Finals MVP to help fix that issue.

Durant averaged over 26 points per game in the 2024-25 season, and he joins an impressive young core that has great defensive players up and down the roster.

Houston, which was the No. 2 seed in the West last season, seems poised to make a deep playoff run in the 2025-26 campaign. Right now, the Rockets have either the second or third-best odds at most sportsbooks to win the title out of Western Conference teams.

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