Now that the smoke has cleared following one of the most
eventful NBA trade deadlines in league history, which teams are
best positioned to make a championship run this season?
Not only were there several blockbuster trades prior to today's
deadline, there were also a number of contenders who made moves
that may have altered the NBA landscape.
The Brooklyn Nets entered Thursday as the favorites to win it
all this season (at +400, or an implied 20% chance of hoisting the
Larry O'Brien trophy). However, following today's blockbuster trade
that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons,
Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks, the Nets'
odds dropped to +500 (or an implied
16.7% chance).
After being viewed as the championship favorite all season long,
Brooklyn now has the same title odds as the Phoenix Suns (+500) and
Golden State Warriors (+500).
At the moment, there is no clear-cut favorite to win this year's
title, with oddsmakers giving the Nets, Suns and Warriors each an
implied 16.7% chance of winning the championship.
“The Nets odds weren’t severely hurt, as they added some top
talent in the deal," OddsChecker spokesman Kyle
Newman said. "Ben Simmons brings elite defense and playmaking and
Seth Curry is an elite three-point shooter. Adding the two of them
mitigates the loss of Harden some."
The 76ers were the big winners today, as their odds jumped from
+1600 (or an implied 5.9% chance of winning the title) to +550 (or
an implied 15.4% chance). Oddsmakers essentially believe
that the deal triples the 76ers' chances of winning it all, and
Philadelphia now has the fourth-best championship odds.
"Meanwhile, the 76ers just traded somebody who wasn’t playing
for them along with two role players to add one of the league’s
best scorers. They couldn’t have imagined a better scenario, and
oddsmakers are taking notice," Newman said.
Team
|
Odds before trade
|
Odds after trade
|
Brooklyn Nets
|
+400, 20% chance
|
+500, 16.7% chance
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
+1600, 5.9% chance
|
+550, 15.4% chance
|
Golden State Warriors
|
+460, 17.9% chance
|
+500, 16.7% chance
|
Phoenix Suns
|
+500, 16.7% chance
|
+500, 16.7% chance
|
While the Warriors had a quiet deadline, the Suns were also
active, trading for Torrey Craig and Aaron Holiday this afternoon.
Phoenix only had to part ways with Jalen Smith and a future
second-round pick too. Even though the Suns weren't able to land
Eric Gordon or Thaddeus Young (as they had hoped), these were still
two impressive win-now moves.
The Nets are currently 29-25, which is the eighth-best record in
the Eastern Conference (and they have lost nine-straight games).
The Sixers are 32-22, which puts them in the East's fifth seed. The
Suns (44-10) and Warriors (41-14) are the top two seeds in the
Western Conference.