Portland Trail Blazers 2024-25 Season Preview, Betting Odds

The kickoff to the post-Damian Lillard era in Rip City matched the second-worst season in Portland Trail Blazers history, with the front office now committed to a slew of young talent seeking to forge some semblance of cohesion and team identity.

In this 2024-25 season preview, we'll look at all important Trail Blazers betting odds, as victories are once again projected to be few and far between.

Portland Trail Blazers' 2024 Offseason Acquisitions 

Portland Trail Blazers' 2024 Offseason Departures

Portland Trail Blazers' 2025 NBA Championship, Western Conference, Northwest Division Betting Odds

Odds as of October 18, 2024 at FanDuel

Moving Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks during the summer of 2023 signalled to Portland's followers that a new era was forthcoming, but one that would likely commence with some noticeable growing pains for a now unproven core of players with little synergy or experience.

Scoot Henderson was selected with the third overall pick in the last year's draft and entered the league with a wealth of expectations as someone who could be the Trail Blazers' new cornerstone, and while that still may be true, the hardships and headaches through his initial 62 appearances validated those aforementioned concerns. This was accentuated by the 20-year-old guard finishing with the worst plus-minus by a player in a single game in league history at -58 on March 29, 2024.

Best Bet: None

Whether it's the championship futures, Western Conference, or even in the Northwest Division, the Trail Blazers rank at the very bottom in terms of betting odds and that's absolutely warranted. The roster isn't devoid of potential, because that's all it had to really hang its hat on, but potential doesn't translate to immediate and profound success. There's ways to still bet on the team and find value, but you're not going to find it here. 

As a fan, the development of Henderson, the offensive ascension of Anfernee Simons, and how much of an impact Donovan Clingan can make out of the gate is what will draw you in and maintain your interest, at least to open the season. Once the losses pile up, it will become more and more difficult to maintain a sense of optimism, but even if you know what hits the fan, another high lottery pick will be incoming and this year's class is touted as one of the best ever.

Portland Trail Blazers' 2024-25 NBA Win Total, Make Playoffs Odds

Odds as of October 18, 2024 at FanDuel

Portland's 21-61 record had been duplicated twice before by the franchise, both in 2006 and 1973. It marked the third time in four seasons that the Trail Blazers finished below the .500 mark in the win-loss column. 

Best Bet: UNDER 20.5 Wins, -104

Rather than pile on a clearly rebuilding team at their lowest point, it's best to just head in the direction oddsmakers are leading you by the hand to follow and side with the UNDER without digging in with further justification. 

If there was ever a season to tank to your heart's content, it's this one. Even at full strength, wins will be hard to come by anyway, so we could be on the verge of Portland entering the history books with its worst year on record.

Portland Trail Blazers' 2024 NBA Cup Odds

Odds as of October 18, 2024 at FanDuel

The Trail Blazers went 1-3 in West Group A during the inaugural in-season tournament. They currently own the worst odds of any team in the West to win their group in 2024.

Portland Trail Blazers' 2024-25 NBA Awards Odds

Odds as of October 8, 2024 at FanDuel

Best Bet: Donovan Clingan For NBA Rookie Of The Year, +3000

Coming off consecutive national championships with Connecticut, having someone of Clingan's skillset who just proved he could be focal point in a winning situation fall into Portland's lap was some much-needed good fortune. The 7-foot-2 big man has the fundamentals down pat as far as working the low post with his size, and he's already an excellent rebounder and interior defender. 

Head coach Chauncey Billups will have his work cut out for him as far as finding a rotation in the middle that works having Clingan, Deandre Ayton, and Robert Williams at his disposal. None of the three names are particularly suited to be playing the four as they're all natural fives, so the addition of Clingan could lead to further moves to eliminate that problem and shore up depth elsewhere.

This problem helps explain why Clingan sits outside of the top 10 odds in the Rookie of the Year race, as he has stiff competition for minutes in the frontcourt. At 30-to-1, though, sprinkling even a touch on the former Husky could pay dividends down the line.

2024-25 NBA Team Previews, Betting Odds