NBA Betting News This Week | Giannis Trade Odds Collide with NBA Finals Madness, Market Watch & Key Games | May 20, 2026

By Dan Favale, Updated on: May 18, 2026 12:00 AM

Now that we are knee deep into the conference finals, if you are not tuning into the NBA playoffs, you are missing out.

Both of the remaining series are underway, and each is already insane. Out west, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are putting on an all-time performance. In the East, the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are breaking brains—and fighting for the right for their respective cores to stay together.

At the same time, betting on the NBA playoffs isn’t all that should be on your menu. Trade rumors are beginning to ramp up now that the vast majority of the league is into its offseason. In particular, Giannis Antetokounmpo trade chatter is starting to crescendo. Where will he be playing next season? The NBA futures market for Giannis’ next team is all over the place. We’re inclined to talk about it—and so much more.

This week's biggest NBA betting storylines

We need to start off by quickly running through updated NBA Finals odds. These lines will shift with every game, so we won’t spend a ton of time on them. However, given the wild Game 1s we had in both the East and the West, we need to check in on the markets, which we’ll be doing with the help of Bovada sportsbook:

Updated NBA Finals Odds

Oklahoma City Thunder (+120)

San Antonio Spurs (+160)

New York Knicks (+430)

Cleveland Cavaliers (+2500)

Now is the time to bet on the Thunder to win it all if you are so inclined. They entered the series -170 to take home a second straight title. We were surprised the odds weren’t even shorter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was confirmed for hissecond straight NBA MVP award, the defense had been incredible, and Jalen Williams, their second-best player, rejoined the team for the Western Conference Finals after missing time with a hamstring injury. Then, everything changed. Mainly, the Thunder dropped Game 1 to the Spurs. That’s prompted them to pay out better than even money. If you think they’ll steal Game 2, though, their line won’t be this way for long.

The Spurs entered the Western Conference Finals +310 to win the title. So, in case you are wondering, one game this time of year can make all the difference. A lot of attention will be paid to Victor Wembanyama. Rightfully so. But rookie Dylan Harper and sophomore Stephon Castle are killing it as well. File this away, too: Including the regular season, the Spurs are now a whopping 5-1 against the Thunder this year.

Just last week, the Knicks’ championship odds sat at +510. When they trailed by 22 points in Game 1 against the Cavs inside eight minutes to play, it looked like those lines would crater. Yet, the Knicks came raging back to scoop up an overtime victory. Given the blow they just dealt Cleveland, we’re surprised the odds here aren’t shorter.

Blowing a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter of the opening conference finals game isn’t endearing the Cavs to anyone. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has some clear adjustments to make, but Cleveland won’t get very far unless James Harden shoots better and commits fewer turnovers.

Who are the best bets to win conference finals MVP?

If you are peeved by the fast-paced changes to NBA Finals betting markets, we’d recommend taking a look at conference final MVP lines. Pretty much any of the best NBA betting sites in the biz have odds on this award now, and the results aren’t as susceptible to one-game performances.

Eastern Conference Finals MVP odds

Here are the top candidates to win Eastern Conference Finals MVP:

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks (-225)
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers (+425)
Josh Hart, New York Knicks (+1000)
James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers (+1000)
Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks (+1000)
Max Strus, Cleveland Cavaliers (+1000)
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks (+1200)
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers (+1300)

Jalen Brunson was always going to be favored after outscoring Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined during the fourth quarter and overtime and Game 1. Still, we are a little surprised the chasm between him and Mitchell is so stark.

From a value perspective, we’d take a look at Karl-Anthony Towns +1200. The Knicks have been running more of their offense through him lately. And while he’s coming off a rough Game 1, he’s rebounded from such struggles before.

Western Conference Finals MVP odds

Here are the top candidates to win Western Conference Finals MVP:

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (+100)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (+100)
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder (+4000)
Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs (+6000)
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder (+8000)
Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs (+8000)
Alex Caruso, Oklahoma City Thunder (+10000)
De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs (+15000)

It will be a genuine shocker if anyone other than Wemby or SGA takes home the honor here. At the same time, there are two things worth considering. First, the conference finals MVP has always gone to a player from the winning team. That shuts the door on “Wemby no matter what” talk. It’s possible, but if you think the Thunder will return to the NBA Finals, it’s something to consider.

Second, and perhaps most importantly, Alex Caruso is a sneaky awesome pick if Oklahoma City continues to have him guard Wemby, despite there being a 12-inch height difference, and also if San Antonio continues throwing the kitchen sink at SGA on defense.

Anthony Edwards is pushing the Timberwolves to do what?!

After falling to the Spurs in Round 2, the Minnesota Timberwolves seem destined for major changes. Multiple reports have suggested they will go after Giannis Antetokounmpo. But franchise superstar Anthony Edwards apparently has somebody else in mind.

Like Kyrie Irving.

Anthony Edwards is “advocating heavily behind the scenes” for the Timberwolves to trade for Kyrie Irving, per @ScoopB

The Houston Rockets are also “actively monitoring” Kyries availability

(https://t.co/PnJ2mKRpwp) pic.twitter.com/NP9fhVHdR3

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 20, 2026

This sounds absurd on his face. Kyrie is 34 and working his way back from an ACL injury. Then again, it…kind of makes sense.

Minnesota needs another ball-handler who can generate shots for himself and someone else. Kyrie is among the most lethal shooters in the game, and even as he ages, he should be able to take pressure off Edwards on the offensive end.

Most critically, Kyrie feels more gettable than Giannis. The Wolves only have two first-round picks to trade outright this summer and don’t have a blue-chip youngster on the docket. That almost assuredly isn’t geting you Giannis. It probably won’t even get you Kawhi Leonard. Or Kevin Durant. It is probably enough to put you in the Kyrie discussion.

Of course, we have to debate the legitimacy of this report. Edwards exited the playoffs saying the Wolves don’t need a star:

"I feel like we good."

Ant doesn't think Wolves need another star to compete in the West 👀

(via @Timberwolves) pic.twitter.com/NLIR4l7zO7

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 16, 2026

Was Edwards posturing for the cameras and the sake of his teammates? Is this Kyrie stuff overblown? Fabricated? We’ll find out in the coming weeks and months.

The Most Popular NBA Betting Markets This Week Are…

…Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destinations!

Here are the odds on where Giannis will play to begin next season:

Milwaukee Bucks (+125)
Boston Celtics (+400)
Miami Heat (+700)
Golden State Warriors (+900)
Cleveland Cavaliers (+1200)
New York Knicks (+1400)
Portland Trail Blazers (+1600)
Minnesota Timberwolves (+1600)

Paint us every shade of shocked that the Bucks are favorites to keep Giannis. The relationship between star and team seems totally boned. Even if Giannis isn’t moved by draft night, we’d expect him to be somewhere.

As for the best bet to trade for Giannis, we find ourselves gravitating towards Miami. The Heat are a special kind of desperates for a caps-lock SUPERSTAR, and they can trade up to three first-round picks as well as Kel’el Ware this summer.

We also recommend keeping your eye on the Cavs. If they get blasted by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, you’ll start to hear a groundswell of Evan Mobley-plus-picks for Giannis package proposals.

Previous NBA Betting News Updates

[May 12-19]: Bovada oddsmakers have the Cleveland Cavaliers as the most likely landing spot for LeBron James in free agency this summer.
[April 23-30]: The Oklahoma City Thunder increased their lead over the San Antonio Spurs as favorites to win the 2026 NBA Finals.
[April 15-22, 2026]: The Boston Celtics entered the playoffs as the odds-on favorites to win the Eastern Conference despite being considered a preseason long shot.
[April 8–15, 2026]: Los Angeles Lakers odds drop sharply after injuries to Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique), creating uncertainty around their playoff availability.
[April 1–7, 2026]: Cade Cunningham returns from injury for the Detroit Pistons, with the team still holding top seeding but sitting fourth in Eastern Conference title odds.

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Meet the author

Dan Favale

Dan first began writing about sports back in 2011. At the time, his expertise lied in the NBA and NFL. More than one decade, that remains the case. But he's also expanded his catalog to include extensive knowledge and analysis on the NHL, MLB, tennis, NASCAR, college ba...