The NBA MVP award is a highly coveted award, and that’s confirmed by listening to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, talk about it in Season 2 of Starting 5 on Netflix. The current NBA MVP odds see SGA as a strong contender to repeat, but he’ll likely have to deal with Nikola Jokic, his main competition from the last few years, in this award again.
Let’s look at the current NBA MVP odds and find out which players are a good bet to challenge SGA and Jokic.
2026 NBA MVP Award Players To Watch
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder | -170 |
| Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets | +300 |
| Cade Cunningham | Detroit Pistons | +900 |
| Luka Doncic | Los Angeles Lakers | +2000 |
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-170)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having another terrific season, putting up 31.8 points per game while shooting 55.4% from the field. As the best player on the best team, it’s no surprise to see Shai as the odds-on favorite to win NBA MVP.
However, Shai has missed some time lately, which has allowed some of the field to get closer, reducing his odds to -170. This price was a lot more expensive a couple of weeks ago.
With that said, there’s a good chance that Shai will come out of the All-Star Break refreshed, so this may be the cheapest price you’ll get on him from here on out.
Considering these circumstances, this is a rare case where I’m willing to lay the juice on a futures bet.
Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (+300)
Denver’s Nikola Jokic has mastered the art of basketball so much that he realistically could have won 5 straight MVP awards since the 2020-21 season. Instead, he’s won 3, giving way to some voter fatigue as he had a strong case last year when he averaged a triple-double:
- 29.6 points (career high)
- 12.7 rebounds
- 10.2 assists (career high)
Jokic is always a good MVP bet as he keeps Denver competitive in the elite conference. This a generational big man who is averaging a triple-double once again.
The problem here is that he’s missed time, so he’ll have to go on a hot streak to make up some ground on Shai. In other words, I don’t think that +300 is enough of a longshot to take a chance on Jokic to win NBA MVP. Look elsewhere if you want a greater return on investment.
Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (+900)
Cade Cunningham is my favorite NBA MVP bet on the board. The star guard is having a terrific season, averaging 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 9.6 assists.Â
As a lead scorer and facilitator of the offense, Cade makes the Pistons tick.
What I love about this bet is that the Pistons have significantly exceeded expectations this year. No one thought that they’d be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Think about where the Pistons would be without Cade? Probably in the play-in game at best.
That makes him worth a look at +900 odds.
Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic (+2000)
Luka Doncic is having another spectacular season for the Lakers, putting up 32.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists.
The problem here is that the Lakers aren’t on the same level as the Thunder or Pistons this season, so it’s hard to see Doncic getting serious looks for MVP unless the team catches fire.
However, that’s why we’re getting such longshot odds at +2000.Â
If you want to take a stab at a nice return on investment, I won’t fault you here.
The Road Ahead in the MVP Chase
With the 20226 NBA season resuming following the All-Star Break on February 18, now is a great time to register for top-rated sportsbooks and get access to welcome offers and bonus bets to use on the NBA markets.
You can bet on players futures like the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, or you could always make parlays on the nightly NBA action.
Our favorite bet today among the NBA MVP betting odds is Cade Cunningham, but timing is everything in sports betting. With award bets, the odds can change drastically, so you’ll always want to be on the lookout for the best odds available.
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
