Odds for the 2020 NBA Championship recalibrated once again and the Houston Rockets moved up to 8/1 odds according to the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas after news of the blockbuster trade between the Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder when the Rockets shipped out Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook.
The Los Angeles Clippers acquired both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, which is why the Clips are the top team on the board at the Westgate at 4/1 odds.
The Milwaukee Bucks are projected to be the best team from the Eastern Conference. The Greek Freak’s squad is 9/2 odds to win the 2020 NBA title.
2020 NBA TITLE ODDS:
LA Clippers 4/1
Milwaukee Bucks 9/2
LA Lakers 9/2
Philly Sixers 7/1
Houston Rockets 8/1
Golden State Warriors 12/1
Utah Jazz 14/1
Denver Nuggets 14/1
The LA Lakers with LeBron James and his new sidekick Anthony Davis are also 9/2 odds to win the NBA championship.
The Philadelphia Sixers lost Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat. However, they acquired Josh Richardson which is why Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and company are the second-highest Eastern team on the board.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are 12/1 odds to win the title even though it’s back to just the Splash Brothers and Draymond Green.
The Utah Jazz are looking like optimal sleeper material. The Jazz recently acquire point guard Mike Conley in a trade with the Grizzlies. They also signed sharpshooter Bojan Bodanovich to a multi-year deal.
Rockets Red Glare and California Love
The LA Lakers were early favorites before the 2019 NBA playoffs concluded. Bookmakers and fans were anticipating the arrival of Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, and they were all correct. The Lakers are a popular team and LeBron is one of the most popular athletes in the universe, which is why oodles of money poured in on the Lakers to ship the 2020 title.
Smart money said Kawhi Leonard would be headed to back home to LA with the Clippers. However, almost no one predicted a coup for Paul George from OKC. The addition of Leonard and George drastically moved the needle for the Clippers as the shot up to as high as 3/1 odds in some shops and offshore. Currently, the line settled at 4/1 odds at the Westgate.
Even the addition of free agents Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant barely moved the needle for the Brooklyn Nets. With KD expected to miss the majority of next season, the Nets are 50/1 odds to win the NBA championship.
The Rockets got a turbo-boost with the addition of Harden’s ex-teammate Russell Westbrook. Once word got out that Chris Paul and Harden were no longer simpatico because Harden chucked too much, Houston went into rebuilding mode. GM Daryl Morey began to shop CP3 to anyone who wanted to talk shop.
Once the OKC Thunder shipped out Paul George to the LA Clippers, RWB’s days were numbered.
The big question looms: can RWB and Harden survive with one basketball, even in Mike D’Antoni’s juiced-up offense? Bettors think the Rockets will thrive, hence the line leap to 7/1 odds. The market corrected itself slightly but the Rockets are still fairly high with 8/1 odds.
