The Phoenix Suns are the best team in the NBA this season, so it’s no surprise that they sit atop of the futures board. The Suns are the consensus favorite to win the 2022 NBA championship, but they’re also the betting favorite at +110 odds to win the Western Conference title in consecutive seasons.
The Golden State Warriors would like to return to the NBA finals after a two-season layoff due to serious injuries to Klay Thompson. But Thompson is healthy and back in the lineup, which is why the Warriors are  a popular secondary pick at +425 odds to win the Western Conference for the sixth time in the last nine years.
| 2022 WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION ODDS |
| NOW | PRESEASON | |
| Phoenix Suns | +110 | +700 |
| Golden State Warriors | +425 | +400 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +550 | +5000 |
| Utah Jazz | +900 | +750 |
| Dallas Mavs | +1200 | +1400 |
| Denver Nuggets | +1300 | +1000 |
| LA Clippers | +1800 | +750 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +4500 | +12500 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +25000 | +5000 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +10000 | +15000 |
The Los Angeles Lakers were the consensus favorite to win the Western Conference at +175 odds in the preseason after they acquired Russell Westbrook in a trade with the Washington Wizards. LeBron James and Lakers had a lot of public money backing them to win their second conference title in three seasons and return to the NBA Finals.
Injuries and poor chemistry with Westbrook derailed the Lakers this season, and they bubbled the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Phoenix Suns +110
The Eastern Conference is wide open and five teams could make a run for the conference crown and represent the east in the NBA Finals. Out west, the Phoenix Suns are the huge favorite to return to the NBA Finals in back-to-back seasons. They’re on a mission to avenge a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 NBA Finals.
In the 2021 NBA playoffs, the Suns earned the #2 seed, but had a easy path to the Western Conference crown due to major injuries to Anthony Davis from the LA Lakers in the first round, and Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers in the finals.
Chris Paul and the Suns wanted to let the entire league know that last season was not a fluke. The Suns jumped out to a hot start thanks to Devin Booker (26.8 ppg), and never looked back. With a 64-18 record, the Suns were the only team to pass 60 wins this season, and they still pull it off with Paul missing over a month with a fractured thumb.
You can bet the Suns are +110 odds to win the Western Conference once again. The Suns are +260 odds to win the 2022 NBA Championship.
Golden State Warriors +425
The Golden State Warriors will ride or die with Steph Curry, who missed the last month of the season with a foot injury. If he’s healthy, then the #3-seeded Warriors and the Splash Brothers have a shot to return to the NBA Finals. If Curry is slowed down by the injury, then they could get knocked out in the first round against the #6 Denver Nuggets. The Warriors are +425 odds to win the Western Conference as the closest competition for the Suns.
Memphis Grizzlies +550
The Memphis Grizzlies were the surprise team in the NBA this season. They went from a play-in tournament team to the #2 seed in the Western Conference. In the preseason, the Grizzlies were +5000 odds to win the conference, but if anyone ha a chance to knock off the Suns, it’s Ja Morant and the high-flying Grizzlies. You can take a flier on the Grizzlies at +550 odds to win their first-ever Western Conference crown.
Utah Jazz +900
The Utah Jazz were the top team in the Western Conference last season and earned the #1 seed, but they were upset in the semifinals by the #4 LA Clippers. The Jazz have not been the same since then. They went off the rails midway through this season after Donovan ‘Spida’ Mitchell missed time with a concussion. There’s a huge rift between Rudy Gobert and Mitchell, and Gobert with most of the team. Hey, everyone tolerates an asshole when you’re winning, but no one let’s it slide when you’re losing.
The Jazz tumbled to the #5 seed, but they’re ripe for a first-round knockout by the #4 Dallas Mavs. The Jazz are +900 odds to win the Western Conference, but it should be much higher because they have no shot.
Dallas Mavs +1200
Luka Doncic is a one-man band with the Dallas Mavs after they traded away the Unicorn at the trade deadline. Doncic suffered a calf strain in the final game of the season, but he’s expected to play in the first-round for the #4 Mavs against the #5 Jazz. Since Doncic is banged up and we do not know the full extent to his injury, it’s a red flag for the Mavs. It’s easy to pass up on the Mavs at +1200 odds to win the Western Conference for the first time since the Dirk Nowitzki era in 2011.
Denver Nuggets +1300
Speaking of one-man bands, Nikola Jokic is about to win back-to-back MVP awards after an amazing performance in the Mile High City. The Nuggets were missing two starters — Jamal Murray and Michael Porter — who were max-contract players, yet Jokic carried the Nuggets all season and secured the #6 seed. It was an amazing feat. Jokic and the Nuggets could steal a game or two in the first round, but do not have enough firepower to overcome Curry and the Warriors. The Nuggets are a long shot at +1300 odds to win their first-ever Western Conference championship.
