New 2023 NBA Championship Odds After Durant Trade, Deadline Ends
The Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies might feel a little woozy, as if they’ve stared into the sun too long, after what Phoenix pulled off late Wednesday night.
The Suns are shootin’ the moon by going all-in on one of the game’s biggest superstars, Kevin Durant, and it’s going to cost Phoenix dearly: breakout talents Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, plus Jae Crowder – since traded to Milwaukee – as well as (gulp) FOUR unprotected first-round draft picks (in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029) and a 2028 pick swap.
That’s best in the West. Plus, T.J. Warren was included in the deal and he’ll fit right back in with Phoenix, having played for the Suns from 2014-2019.
But that’s the steep price you pay to land KD, who suddenly makes the Suns the team to beat in the wild Western Conference.
After losing the 2021 NBA Finals to the Bucks, 4-2, and being upset by the Mavericks in last season’s Western Conference semifinals, 4-3, the Suns believe the time for winning the franchise’s first title in its 55-year-history is right now
Phoenix suddenly doesn’t have much depth, but a starting five of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Torrey Craig, Durant and Deandre Ayton will be a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses.
What this monster move does is take pressure off both Paul, who’s slowing down, turns 38 in May, and may be on his last hurrah in Phoenix, and Booker, who won’t face nearly as many double teams now. Not with Durant lurking on the wing. Good luck stopping that.
As always, the question is: Can this terrific trio stay healthy throughout the postseason and into the Finals? Time will tell.
Meanwhile, Crowder to the Bucks is a nice move for Milwaukee. A veteran who provides leadership and is rested. He hasn’t played all season while the Suns figured out a trade.
The Lakers mildly improved their non-Kyrie roster, after a solid trade with the Jazz (netting three potential starters while jettisoning Russell Westbrook) so let’s take a look at the latest NBA title odds now that the deadline has come and gone. The betting odds are courtesy of two of our favorite betting sites out there: FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook.
And the odds look a little different on each site. First up:
FanDuel Sportsbook’s Odds to Win 2023 NBA Championship
Boston Celtics +260
Milwaukee Bucks +420
Phoenix Suns +480
Denver Nuggets +750
Los Angeles Clippers +1200
Philadelphia 76ers +1300
Golden State Warriors +1500
Dallas Mavericks +1800
Memphis Grizzlies +1900
Cleveland Cavaliers +3000
New Orleans Pelicans +4500
Miami Heat +5500
Los Angeles Lakers +6000
Brooklyn Nets +10000
Sacramento Kings +10000
Atlanta Hawks +13000
New York Knicks +13000
Toronto Raptors +16000
Chicago Bulls +18000
Minnesota Timberwolves +24000
Portland Trail Blazers +37000
Utah Jazz +49000
Oklahoma City Thunder +50000
Orlando Magic +50000
Indiana Pacers +50000
Washington Wizards +50000
Charlotte Hornets +50000
Houston Rockets +50000
San Antonio Spurs +50000
Detroit Pistons +50000
And now these:
DraftKings Sportsbook’s Odds to Win 2023 NBA Championship
Boston Celtics +350
Phoenix Suns +425
Milwaukee Bucks +600
Denver Nuggets +800
Los Angeles Clippers +900
Philadelphia 76ers +950
Memphis Grizzlies +1400
Golden State Warriors +1500
Dallas Mavericks +1600
Cleveland Cavaliers +2200
New Orleans Pelicans +2800
Miami Heat +4000
Los Angeles Lakers +5000
Atlanta Hawks +6500
Sacramento Kings +7000
Brooklyn Nets +8000
New York Knicks +15000
Portland Trail Blazers +15000
Toronto Raptors +15000
Minnesota Timberwolves +20000
Chicago Bulls +35000
Washington Wizards +35000
Utah Jazz +40000
Indiana Pacers +50000
Oklahoma City Thunder +70000
Orlando Magic +100000
Charlotte Hornets +100000
Houston Rockets +100000
San Antonio Spurs +100000
Detroit Pistons +100000
A few things stand out when comparing the two sites: First, you can get much better odds on the Bucks (+600) at DK vs. FD (+420) and better odds on the Clippers (+1200) at FD vs. DK (+900). Also, you can find much better odds on FD vs. DK on all three of these long-shot teams, which do have a slight chance: Grizzlies (+1900) vs. (+1400), Cavaliers (+3000) vs. (+2200), and a huge difference on the Pelicans (+4500) vs. (+2800).
At these prices, I like DraftKings’ offers on the Nuggets and Bucks. We’ll see how this Suns lineup works out – probably great – but Denver has a 4.5-game lead in the West and also owns the best home record in the league (26-4). If the Nuggets have home-court advantage in the West finals, even if it’s against Phoenix, that’s going to be a tall order for the Suns. And if Denver has it over the Celtics – currently with the NBA’s best record – I like the Nuggets to win their first championship in franchise history.
Meanwhile, the Bucks added a tough presence in the gritty, defensive-minded Crowder.
Milwaukee, winners of eight straight games, has the third-best record in the NBA of this writing (Feb. 9) and sits just 1.5 games behind Boston in the East. The Celtics received a tough blow, literally, when All-Star Jaylen Brown suffered a facial fracture Wednesday after colliding with teammate Jayson Tatum. Brown is expected to be out through the All-Star break, which would include Boston’s next four games. One of those is a Feb. 14 showdown in Milwaukee.
I expect the Bucks to take over the top spot in the conference by the break. They also have the seventh-easiest schedule the rest of the way.
So take those value bets while the getting is good.
