How Nuggets' 2027 Championship Odds Stack Up Against NBA's Top Teams

The Denver Nuggets have yet to complete their 2026 offseason, with Peyton Watson still sitting in restricted free agency and two roster spots to fill, but we can start to think about how competitive they will be next season. With a roster still built around Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon, we certainly have an idea of what we will get out of Denver.

The Nuggets won the NBA Finals with this same "big three" in 2023, but they have fallen short in every playoff run since. In 2024 and 2025, the Nuggets lost in the second round. In 2026, they suffered a disappointing first-round exit. Can they bounce back to compete for a championship again?

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Nuggets are far from a favorite to win the 2027 NBA Finals, but they are impossible to rule out. The oddsmakers are giving the Nuggets +2700 odds (27/1) to win next year's Finals. Here is a full list of the top ten contenders:

Team	2027 NBA Finals Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder	+230
San Antonio Spurs	+270
New York Knicks	+900
Philadelphia 76ers	+1100
Boston Celtics	+1400
Toronto Raptors	+2200
Detroit Pistons	+2500
Denver Nuggets	+2700
Minnesota Timberwolves	+2700
Cleveland Cavaliers	+3000

Are the Nuggets in a fair spot?

The Nuggets are tied for the seventh-best odds in the NBA to win next year's Finals, and the third-best odds in the Western Conference. Similarly, they have +1400 odds to come out of the West in next year's playoffs, sitting behind the Thunder (+125) and Spurs (+155), while being tied with the Timberwolves.

As much as it would be great to have more faith in the Nuggets, this is a fair spot. Should the Pistons have better title odds than them? Probably not, but there is much more uncertainty in the East. The Nuggets know they will have to go through the Spurs and Thunder to get to the Finals, and that is a very tall task.

The Denver Nuggets are currently the only team in the NBA that is over the second apron.

Here’s a look at the Nuggets roster if the 2026-27 season started today…#milehighbasketball pic.twitter.com/lmQrYYbrrG
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) July 29, 2026

If the Nuggets had a better offseason, they would likely have better odds to bring home the Larry O'Brien, but it is hard to say they actually improved this summer. Their key additions are headlined by Marvin Bagley III, Trevon Brazile, and Alpha Diallo, while most of their heavy lifting has simply been to retain last year's roster.

Losing Tim Hardaway Jr. hurts the Nuggets' second unit, and they have yet to fill that void. There is no doubt that Denver's starting lineup of Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Gordon, and Jokic can get the job done, but depth concerns prevail.

We should still be confident in the Nuggets' ability to compete with the best teams in the league, especially if they can stay healthy, but these are fair title odds.

Denver's key to a title

We can assume (in optimism) that the Nuggets will finish their offseason by re-signing Watson and adding an extra backup ball-handler to fill their final two roster spots. If they do this, there are only two significant factors that we will monitor on their path to title contention: defense and injuries.

Last season, the Nuggets finished with the league's 21st-ranked defensive rating, while dealing with a slew of injuries. With Jokic, Gordon, Johnson, Braun, and Watson all missing significant time due to injury, it felt like the Nuggets never had a chance.

"I thought that if this group was healthy that this could be a 60-65 win team, but we never got a chance to fully show it."

"That's why I say everything has to be on the table, including running it back. I really do believe in the group..."

- Josh Kroenke pic.twitter.com/z7MdsVxVle
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) May 8, 2026

This offseason, they bolstered their defense by adding Diallo and Brazile, while bringing back Spencer Jones. We should expect the Nuggets' defense to improve, as long as the team can stay healthy. Missing Gordon for a long stretch certainly hurt their defense, and if Braun can find more of a two-way rhythm, they will be in a good spot.

By retaining their core, the Nuggets know offense will not be an issue. If they can piece together a stronger defense and hope for good health, they will be a legitimate title contender.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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