Warriors heavily favored to win 2017 NBA Finals after Kevin Durant signing
Now that Kevin Durant is joining the Golden State Warriors, the new betting odds have been released, and it shouldn’t be a surprise as to who’s the favorite to win the 2017 NBA Finals.
The news that shook the NBA world on Monday afternoon was Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors. He took a few days to decide between them, the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, KD decided to take his talents to the 2015 NBA Champions.
While the Warriors are coming off a loss in the 2016 NBA Finals, it would have been assumed that they would be one of the favorites to win the title in 2017, with or without Durant. Now that they’ve acquired the former NBA MVP, the favorite for next season has become concrete. ESPN listed the betting odds from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook following the signing.
The @warriors are now a 4-5 betting favorite to win the 2016-17 NBA title.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 4, 2016
The Thunder are up to 30-1. pic.twitter.com/04j96fCvF5
The Warriors being the favorites to win the 2017 NBA Finals shouldn’t come as a surprise. They have arguably two of the top three players in the NBA in Durant and Stephen Curry, plus a top shooting guard in Klay Thompson, and a rising player in Draymond Green.
What is somewhat interesting is the Thunder are still listed on the betting odds. While Russell Westbrook is more than capable of leading the team, they will probably have a tough time getting past the elite of the Western Conference, barring further moves.
So the NBA has been shaken up once again by free agency. In three-and-a-half months, we’ll see the impact of everything.
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