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Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
Last week there was a big NBA trade involving very expensive point guards when the Houston Rockets sent Mr. Triple-double, nine-time All-Star and former league MVP Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for the five-time All-Star. -Star John Wall and a protected first-round pick in 2023. While Westbrook and Wall are very good players and big names, that deal did little in terms of changing either team’s 2021 NBA championship odds.
While Westbrook and Bradley Beal give Washington an excellent backcourt, the Wizards don’t have much else and have 10,000+ long shots to win it all. Just making the playoffs could be a challenge for Washington, which hasn’t done so since the 2017-18 season. Westbrook reconnects with his former Oklahoma City coach under current Wizards coach Scott Brooks.
Wall seems to be a better fit in Houston alongside three-time NBA scoring champion James Harden than Westbrook in his only season with the Rockets. However, Wall’s health is a big question mark, as he hasn’t played a regular season game since December 26, 2018, due to knee surgery and then an Achilles tendon tear; that’s basically the worst injury a basketball player can have, especially a basketball player. player whose game is based on speed like Wall’s has been. He will likely not play on both ends of a back-to-back all season. Houston has +4000 to win the NBA title.
The Rockets plan to keep Harden for now, although he has requested a trade as Westbrook did. Harden reportedly preferred Wall to Westbrook, so perhaps if the team is off to a good start, “The Beard” may want to stick around.
Harden wants to play Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets, who are +525 second favorites to win their first title. Those odds would clearly be reduced if by some miracle Harden is sent to Brooklyn before the start of the regular season on Dec. 22.
The NBA released both games on December 22: Golden State Warriors in Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Clippers in Los Angeles Lakers. Those are all title contenders, with the Lakers +210 favorites to repeat, the Clippers at +700 and the Warriors at +1700. Golden State’s odds increased after Klay Thompson suffered a torn Achilles tendon at the end of the season on NBA Draft day (November 18).
The preseason kicks off around the league this Friday.
