Suns Ahead of Fellow Major Arizona Teams in Odds to Win a Championship

The state of Arizona has a representative in each of the big four major leagues in the US. As we move through the early months of 2022, we can start to assess championship hopes for the state. As it stands, the bookmakers have an Arizona team as a favorite, one as a dark horse, and two as no-hopers.

So, here’s how the best Arizona sportsbooks are rating the championship chances of teams in the desert.

Weighing in as the favorites in the NBA odds of BetMGM, the Phoenix Suns are at +400 to win the NBA Championship. This puts them just ahead of the powerhouse +550 Brooklyn Nets as well as the resurgent +550 Golden State Warriors.

At the time of writing, the Suns were walking the Western Conference with a .791 win percentage. This 53-14 record was, by far, the best in the NBA and held the Warriors 7.5 games behind. The fact that the Suns have already clinched a playoff berth – the first to do so in the NBA – automatically pencils them in as top contenders.

It wasn’t long ago that we were talking about the Arizona Cardinals as leading Super Bowl contenders. In 2021, however, the NFC West emerged as the toughest division in the league. With the eventual champions (Los Angeles Rams), the NFC Championship finalists (San Francisco 49ers), and the stubborn Seattle Seahawks to contend with, Arizona’s 11-6 record marked a strong regular season.

Still, the hype has faded from the Kyler Murray-led Cards, with BetRivers now putting them out at +2500 to win the next Super Bowl. They’re now out of contention, but it’ll be an uphill battle for a team that’ll see the likes of Chandler Jones, Malcolm Butler, AJ Green, Chase Edmonds, James Connor, Christian Kirk, and Zach Ertz test the free agency.

Everyone knows the deal with the Diamondbacks. The team’s still building and has several great talents in the franchise, but many of them are still on the way. Keeping Ketel Marte and Carson Kelly through the offseason keeps some potency, but they’ll likely be traded for prospects and picks during the season.

At +15,000 in the Unibet MLB odds, it’s clear that expectations are low for the D-Backs in 2022. Still, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to like about Arizona baseball this year. Daulton Varsho looks set to be the star attraction and, hopefully, the sign of a much better future for the Diamondbacks.

Odds of +100,000 to win the Stanley Cup with DraftKings seem a bit excessive. Still, at 18-36 and rock bottom of the Central Division, the Arizona Coyotes can’t really argue against the bookies. That’s not to say that the Yotes haven’t been entertaining, and have even toppled favorites Colorado Avalanche a couple of times.

Already, though, eyes are on who they’ll ship at the March 21 trade deadline and their eight picks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft. General manager Bill Armstrong is looking to rip it all up and start again. So, if anything, each loss is a little victory for Arizona, getting them better odds for the first overall selection in the draft.

So, Arizona has its hopes in the Suns and possibly the Cardinals to bring some silverware back to the desert.