NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds: Can Evan Mobley, Lu Dort Catch Draymond Green?

đ NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds update
When it was announced on Feb. 20 that overwhelming NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds favorite Victor Wembanyama would be out for the season, it caused chaos in the market. Four different players have temporarily claimed the top spot in the past two months, will the latest be the one to win the award?
Our NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds update previews the award race heading into the final weekend of the NBA regular season. Golden State's Draymond Green is the latest betting favorite, but Cleveland's Evan Mobley and Oklahoma City's Lu Dort both have their eyes on the prize, as well.
đĸ Latest NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds
đ Who will win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award?
đ The NBA DPOY case for Draymond Green
Green's lead atop the NBA DPOY charts has grown in recent weeks. He's trading at -200, with even shorter odds at some of our best sports betting sites. This is largely because he's been vocal about campaigning for himself as a four-time, soon-to-be five-time, NBA All-Defensive First Team inclusion.
Green has put up numbers on the defensive end of the floor (1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game this season), but Golden State's rising defensive numbers have boosted his case lately. The Warriors are up to seventh in the NBA in defensive rating, ahead of Mobley's Cavaliers.
The reason I'm confident Green will win the award at this stage is because he's not only the overwhelming favorite heading into the final weekend, but he has two meaningful games remaining.
Golden State is fighting tooth and nail to get into a guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference. If the Warriors can get there behind two impressive defensive outings, it's hard to imagine Green being dethroned.
All of that being said, it's too late to bet on Green. If you missed him at plus-money earlier in the regular season, the ship has sailed and there's too much uncertainty to justify betting on his heavily juiced odds.
đ Best odds: -200 via DraftKings (66.67% implied probability)
âī¸ The NBA DPOY case for Evan Mobley
Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and the Cavaliers' social media team have been vocal recently about why they believe Mobley should be the Defensive Player of the Year. Mobley himself has even spoken on it recently:
And he's right. We don't need to gush about Mobley's underlying defensive statistics because he makes a great case for himself already. There aren't many seven-footers in the NBA defending with as much agility and versatility as Mobley.
Cleveland's big man has been the one constant in the DPOY race throughout the season. No matter the leader - Dyson Daniels, Jaren Jackson Jr., Dort, Green, or Wembanyama - Mobley has been the closest competitor in those conversations. However, he's seldom held a sizable lead himself.
While the USC product is still within striking distance, it's unlikely he will catch Green, at least as far as the odds are concerned.
The Cavaliers have already clinched the No. 1 overall seed, and as such, head coach Kenny Atkinson has decided to rest his star tonight against the Indiana Pacers. He could also sit in the team's final two games against the New York Knicks and Pacers again.
đ Check out our Cavaliers vs. Pacers player prop picks for tonight
If voters aren't convinced with Green in the same way oddsmakers are, a $10 winning wager on Mobley would return $35 in profits at our best sports betting apps.
đ Best odds: +350 via BetMGM (22.22% implied probability)
đŠī¸ The NBA DPOY case for Lu Dort

Dort being a fantastic one-on-one defender isn't a new development. He's been a lockdown defensive force for years now, but with Oklahoma City demanding attention in the Western Conference, more eyes are now on the Thunder's best defender.
Dort ranks joint-23rd - alongside Orlando star Paolo Banchero - in the NBA with a 0.131 defensive win share. He's also got among the best defensive ratings (107.3) among any player with 50-plus games played.
Unfortunately for fans hoping for a competitive DPOY race down the stretch, Oklahoma City has taken the same approach as Cleveland. Dort was one of multiple Thunder starters rested by head coach Mark Daigneault in the team's latest game, and with the West's two worst teams left on the schedule, it's unlikely he will suit up again in the regular season.
Simply put, Dort has made a late charge up the oddsboards as sportsbooks look to mitigate risk. He's the best defender on the league's best regular season team, so it's not farfetched to see the Canadian receiving votes for that reason alone.
If he does shock the world and win his first individual defensive honor, a winning wager of $10 would profit $100 at our best sportsbooks. Dort's +1000 odds imply a 9.09% probability he's named the 2025 NBA DPOY over Green, Mobley, and the rest of the field.
đ Best odds: +1000 via FanDuel (9.09% implied probability)
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