Rockets' odds take hit after Westbrook trade
The Houston Rockets began the NBA off-season in a precarious situation with two veteran superstars surrounded by a lacklustre supporting cast while replacing their head coach and general manager.
Already considered long shots to be a factor in the Western Conference — much less for the NBA title — in 2021, Houston saw its odds of being a factor next season take a massive blow on Wednesday night, with the trade of nine-time all-star Russell Westbrook.
Houston acquired another star guard, John Wall, but he is marking the second anniversary of the last game he played due to multiple injuries.
Following the Wizards `confirmation of the deal, the Rockets' odds of winning the 2021 NBA title moved from +5000 to +8000 at Points Bet and from +3000 to +6000 at Sports Betting.
Houston is still grappling with rumours that perennial MVP candidate James Harden also wants out of town, preferably to play with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets.
With the franchise in turmoil, the Rockets' odds of winning the Western Conference lengthened from +1500 to +2800 at Sports Betting.
The Wizards were long shots to be a factor before acquiring Westbrook, and those odds saw marginal impact following the deal.
Washington's title odds moved from +15000 to +12500 at Sports-Betting, while the Wizards' Eastern Conference odds shortened from +6000 to +5000. The story was similar at Points Bet, where their title odds shortened from +20000 to +12500, while their conference title odds moved from +8000 to +6000.
That's not to say that Westbrook's arrival won't make the Wizards a more competitive team night in and night out. That was reflected by Points Bet, with the sportsbook moving Washington's over/under win total significantly from 28.5 to 33.5 games.
Davis, Lakers agree on five-year, $190M deal
Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a five-year deal worth up to US$190 million on Thursday.
According to multiple reports, Davis is expected to sign and join training camp imminently.
Davis, acquired in July 2019 from the New Orleans Pelicans, opted out of the final year of his contract — worth $28.7 million — to become a free agent in the days after the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship in Orlando.
Davis' deal follows news from LeBron James' agent of a two-year, $85-million contract extension with the Lakers.
The 27-year-old Davis can make $43.2 million in the final year of the deal (2024-25) if he opts to accept the player option in the max contract.
He was 10th in the NBA in scoring at 26.1 points per game and averaged 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 2019-20 with the Lakers. With the Pelicans in 2018-19, he averaged 25.9 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
The No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Davis spent seven seasons with the franchise before demanding a trade in January 2019 in hopes of being moved before the February trade deadline.