Sportsbooks Desparate for Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren to Go No. 1 (Paolo Banchero Biggest 2022 NBA Draft Liability)

Sportsbooks around the country were starting to sweat bullets late Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

The Orlando Magic own the first overall pick of the draft, and have done a good job of keeping their 2022 NBA Draft intentions close to the vest to this point. With rumored interest in Banchero, as well as Auburn's Jabari Smith and Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren, the betting markets had taken in plenty of action for all three players.

After opening up around +2200, or 22/1, Duke forward Paolo Banchero found himself as the overwhelming favorite to go No. 1 overall in the draft; soaring up as high as -200 odds, meaning a $200 bet would win $100.

WynnBET Sportsbook sent out their most updated splits for the upcoming draft. As of late Wednesday, Banchero received both the largest percentage of their bets for "No. 1 Overall Pick" at 54.50%, as well as 43.41% of the money. Should Banchero (+275 at the time the splits were sent out) be the first player selected, that would be by far and away WynnBET's worst result for the NBA Draft first pick prop.

Latest Woj Bomb Drops Who Magic, Thunder, and Rockets Will Take in the NBA Draft

Most sportsbooks can now breathe a huge sigh of relief, as ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski followed up the rapid movement for Banchero with a major "Woj Bomb," disputing his meteoric rise up the boards.

While there's always the possibility of these players being selected to eventually be traded, their draft position is what the prop bet ultimately indicates.

BetSided's Brian Giuffra wrote earlier today that he's siding with Woj over Vegas, largely due to his long history of tipping draft picks; sometimes multiple picks ahead of the broadcast.

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