NBA Championship Odds: James Harden Trade Causes Mayhem at Sportsbooks
There are some major discrepancies in the Philadelphia 76ers' NBA Finals odds after the James Harden trade.
By Peter Dewey
The Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers pulled off a blockbuster trade in the early hours on Tuesday, as Philly shipped James Harden to Los Angeles for a package of draft picks and wings KJ Martin, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, and Marcus Morris.
Los Angeles acquired Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev in the deal.
Following the move, I broke down the biggest winners -- and losers -- in the NBA Finals odds because of the Harden trade. The Clippers saw their odds jump from +2700 to +1200, but the Sixers also saw a jump -- or so it seemed.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, Philly moved to +1800 to win the title, but as my colleague Iain MacMillan noted, some books have the Sixers as far back as +3000 (!!) to win the title!
There are some wildly different prices on 76ers to win the NBA Finals after the James Harden trade:
— Iain MacMillan (@IainMacBets) October 31, 2023
DraftKings +1800
PointsBet +2000
Caesars +2500
BetMGM +2800
FanDuel +3000
Philadelphia 76ers NBA Championship Odds
DraftKings
FanDuel
BetMGM
It's really strange to see such a discrepancy in the futures market between these major sportsbooks, and it appears that not all oddsmakers are sold on this being a good deal for the Sixers.
While the team does improve its depth, it did lose a former MVP in Harden, who showed in the playoffs last season with multiple 40-point outings that he can still take over games.
It's also possible that Philly could look to flip some of the pieces and draft capital that it received from the Clippers to further improve the roster. For now, bettors should prioritize getting the best number available to them in the futures market if they want to bet on the Sixers.
The best place to bet on the Sixers to win the title appears to be FanDuel, since it is offering the longest odds at the moment. Plus, FanDuel Sportsbook has an amazing promotional offer. New users who sign up with the link below and wager $5 will receive $150 in bonus bets (if your team wins) and three months free of NBA League Pass!
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.