How NBA Title Odds Shift After the James Harden Blockbuster Trade
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Well, another Woj Bomb was dropped on Wednesday, and it was practically nuclear with the news that came out of the NBA.
Reporting with @RamonaShelburne: Brooklyn is acquiring Houston’s James Harden in a blockbuster deal, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 13, 2021
The trade finally happened. After a month of rumors floating around, the Nets were interested in acquiring James Harden, and it came to fruition. Harden heads to Brooklyn after a four-team Blockbuster trade was announced Wednesday afternoon.
The Nets, Rockets, Pacers, and Cavilers were all involved, and all were able to pick up quality pieces in the deal. Shortly after, the Nets’ odds to win the NBA Title went from +600 to +275, putting Brooklyn behind the Lakers for second-best odds to win it all.
Sportsbooks NBA Title odds were shaken up yesterday, but the question becomes, is there still value on Brooklyn to win it all? Or did another team become more valuable contenders after the trade?
Trade Breakdown & Title Odds
The trade took four teams to get a deal done, and all four parties should be happy with the return they received. The Nets got their crown jewel in Harden, who will team up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn also received a 2024 second-round pick from the Cavilers.
Houston received the most out of the trade by bringing in eight draft picks yesterday. The Rockets will receive three unprotected first-round draft picks 2022, 2024, and 2026. They will also be apart of pick swaps in 2021, 2023, 2025, 2027 and picked up a 2022 first-round pick originally from the Bucks, which went to Cleveland and is now held with Houston. Got all that? Great!
The Indiana Pacers were involved in the deal and picked up Caris LeVert and a 2023 second-round pick from Houston. The Cavilers were the last team involved and managed to receive Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince in the deal.
Wednesday morning, anyone could have woken up and bet the Nets win it all at +500 at DraftKings Sportsbook. After the trade, the odds shifted to +300. Brooklyn now sits behind the Lakers with the second-best odds to win it all. The Rockets’ odds split in half and went from +5000 to +10000 after the deal. Houston did pick up Victor Oladipo in the deal, but the former Pacer all-star is still a big downgrade from Harden.
The Pacers saw the biggest jump on the board Wednesday. Indiana went from +10000 to +4000 to hoist the NBA trophy at the end of the season. The Pacers picked up Caris LeVert, a key piece to build around in the upcoming years. LeVert should have more production than Oladipo with the injuries the veteran was facing.
Cleveland’s odds stayed the same at +50000. Although the Cavilers picked up Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince for a 2022 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick, Cleveland has a lot of work to with their roster for any change in odds.
Will the Deal Payoff?
Rookie head coach Steve Nash now has to deal with three NBA superstars to lead his team to a championship. This will be easier said than done with Harden fighting his way out of Houston for the last two months, and Irving has been out for over the past week due to personal reasons.
At the end of the day, there is only one ball, and all three players will need to find a way to put their personal numbers to the side to win a ring. Also, Nash has had moments of putting out poor rotations, which has cost the Nets wins this season.
Aside from a locker room meltdown, there is no guarantee this team will compete for a title. On paper, it is arguably the best roster in the league, but now everyone needs to do their part to prove it on the court.
