Fansided

NBA Draft 2016: Odds released for top 4 players

By Jeff Glauser

Jan 30, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) defends against a shot by Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) defends against a shot by Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Barring a bombshell occurrence, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram will be selected with the top two picks in the NBA Draft. After that, it’s a crap shoot.

For months, it’s been a foregone conclusion that the freshmen phenom forwards would be the first two players over the board once the clock starts on Thursday night. The news today that Simmons was informed by the Philadelphia 76ers that they will use their top selection on him, followed by reports that the Los Angeles Lakers will use theirs on Ingram solidified those speculations.

This means that the drama will not begin until Pick No. 3.

Online betting site 10Bet.com released its odds for the top four draft picks to have their name called. Unsurprisingly, it will cost a lot more money to make money gambling on Simmons (+500) and Ingram (+150), respectively. After that, it gets interesting.

The best odds for the third pick go to guard Jamal Murray (-200) to the Boston Celtics. However, his Kentucky coach, John Calipari, has told ESPN that his preference is to land with the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 5.

Meanwhile, the Celtics have reportedly been shopping their third pick, with interest from the Sixers, which could bode well for someone like Providence point guard Kris Dunn.

Reigning College Player of the Year Buddy Hield (-150) maintains the best odds to become a Phoenix Sun with the fourth overall selection. However, with the Suns’ top three scorers from last season all residing in the backcourt, this is also far from a sure thing for the senior shooting guard out of Oklahoma. Additionally, like Boston, Phoenix holds multiple first round picks this year and has also been a subject of trade rumors.

In addition to Dunn, another with a good chance of cracking the top four is University of Washington power forward Marquese Chriss.

Although the lottery itself left all the teams in place and the first couple selections tomorrow should be anti-climactic, expect the unexpected at the Barclays Center this time around.

For more NBA Draft coverage, you can check out our hub page.

Home/NBA Draft