The drama surrounding Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets owned the offseason storylines for much of the summer. But now that the two parties have reconciled, Durant is still making waves around the NBA.
Before Durant’s future was known, PointsBet gave the Warriors the second-best odds to win the 2023 NBA Finals, tied with the Los Angeles Clippers at +650, meaning a $100 bet would win you $650. Golden State and Los Angeles only trailed the Boston Celtics, who the Warriors handled in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals.
But after the Durant news broke Tuesday, the Nets soared up the lists of oddsmakers while most teams at the top took a step back.
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Golden State saw its odds dip from +650 to +700, tying the Milwaukee Bucks for the third-best odds in the league. The Warriors still trail the Celtics, who saw their odds decrease from +450 to +500. The Clippers stayed in place at +650 and jumped ahead of Golden State.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn with its core of Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons intact -- for now -- catapulted from the depths of the Eastern Conference at +1600 to tied with the Phoenix Suns for fifth overall at +900.
Other teams to see changes to their odds following the Durant news were the Miami Heat (+1300 to +1500), Philadelphia 76ers (+1400 to +1500), Toronto Raptors (+3300 to +4000) and Chicago Bulls (+4000 to +5000).
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Golden State Warriors
PointsBet had Golden State ranked similarly last July, when the Warriors were given the fourth-best odds to win the 2022 NBA Finals at +900 behind the Brooklyn Nets (+250), Los Angeles Lakers (+650) and then-defending champion Milwaukee Bucks (+800).
Golden State, of course, went on to finish third in the Western Conference and cruised through the playoffs en route to their fourth championship in eight years.
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.