LeBron James’ move to the West Coast this past weekend has had an immediate and dramatic impact on the NBA championship odds, with the Los Angeles Lakers now trailing only the defending champion Golden State Warriors as a +460 wager on those futures at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
King James ended speculation about where he will play next season by inking a massive four-year, $154-million contract with the Lakers. The sportsbooks immediately responded to the news, lifting the Lakers past Houston, Philadelphia, and Boston on the NBA title odds.
The addition of James is expected to be a franchise-altering move for the Lakers, who won just 35 games last season and have missed the NBA playoffs in each of the past five years. However, not to be outdone, the Warriors quickly countered with a big splash, inking all-star centre DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year deal, and cementing their position as heavy -185 chalk to claim a third straight NBA title.
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While this weekend’s signings set the stage for a fierce California rivalry in the upcoming NBA season, they have also reshaped the landscape in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. The Celtics come out of the weekend sitting third on the NBA championship odds at +510, well ahead of the 76ers, who have tumbled to +1425 after failing to attract James to the City of Brotherly Love, while the Cavaliers have made a massive drop to a distant +50000.
James’ departure from the Eastern Conference has done little to lift the Toronto Raptors’ fortunes on the NBA futures. Bounced from the NBA playoffs in each of the past three seasons by James and the Cavaliers, the Raptors opened the off-season as a distant +6600 bet despite owning the second-best record in the NBA last season, but have only enjoyed a moderate lift on the NBA title odds following this weekend’s events, climbing to +5500.
Winners of 65 games in 2017-2018, the Lakers’ and Warriors’ personnel moves are bad news for the Rockets, who have dipped to +800 after opening the summer sitting second to Golden State with +525 odds.
Complicating matters further for the Rockets is the continued speculation about where Kawhi Leonard will play next season. The 27-year-old small forward has emerged as a strong -325 wager to part ways with the San Antonio Spurs on the NBA player props, and has reportedly expressed interest in joining the Lakers, a move that would further shake up the NBA futures.
The Spurs currently sit just ahead of Toronto at +5000 on the championship odds, with the Oklahoma City Thunder following at +6000 on the list.