From Giannis to Miami to the NBA Draft's top prospects, bettors have plenty to digest as sportsbooks adjust 2027 NBA title and MVP odds
All eyes are on NBA futures after a bunch of trades yesterday, plus the draft last night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Small forward A.J. Dybantsa, the consensus No. 1 going into the draft, went No. 1 to the Washington Wizards, projecting as a centrepiece in the Wizards rebuild. Dybantsa brings elite athleticism and shot-creation ability.
Shooting guard Darryn Peterson went No. 2 to Utah Jazz, a potentially franchise-changing player. That’s a team that needs more size and another shooter in the back court, and Peterson is a great scoring guard.
Power forward Cameron Boozer went No. 3 to the Memphis Grizzlies, the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, with an NBA-ready skill set, basketball IQ, and rebounding. Boozer is going to be an excellent long-term player for them.
Then power forward Caleb Wilson went to the Chicago Bulls at No. 4. Wilson is projected to become a high-impact NBA forward, with a rare combination of size, athleticism and defensive versatility, with two-way upside. The Bulls look at his ability to guard multiple positions while contributing as a scorer, rebounder and playmaker.
Bottom line, the draft’s “Big Four” came off the board in the first four picks, which most people expected.
The Toronto Raptors, at No. 19, went with forward Allen Graves, a 6-foot-8 freshman from the University of Santa Clara, with a knack for offensive rebounding and steals, plus he can shoot, reports Sportsnet’s Michael Grange – 41.3% on nearly three attempts per game from 3-point range.
Round 2 of the NBA Draft goes tonight.
Then there were the trades yesterday, led by the Milwaukee Bucks dealing one of the best 25 players of all time, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to the Miami Heat, and not getting a blue chipper back.
Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round draft picks (including No. 13 in last night’s NBA draft), a draft pick swap in 2030 and a second-round pick in 2033 were sent back to the Bucks. Bobby Portis also went from the Bucks to the Heat.
In NBA betting at Betway, Miami was considered a fringe contender in the Eastern Conference – a playoff team, but hardly an NBA championship contender. Miami title odds went from +3300 to +1800 post trade, with the Heat’s Eastern Conference title odds now at +600.
Milwaukee is in full-scale rebuild mode now.
Along with the Antetokounmpo trade, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets, a three-time all-star, a proven high-level offensive engine who is going to accelerate the rebuild in Brooklyn (+20000 to win the Eastern Conference at Betway).
Last season in Brooklyn, Randle averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He’ll take the pressure off guard Mikel Brown Jr., whom the Nets took with the No. 6 draft pick last night. The Nets aren’t a tanking team, that’s for sure.
The Oklahoma Thunder traded Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta, more a cap sheet-reshaping move.
The San Antonio did some draft night dealing adding the No. 26 pick where they took Tarris Reed Jr., a 6-foot-11 center, after taking 6-foot-10, 255-pound forward Jayden Quaintance at No. 20, both moves an effort to get more size around superstar Victor Wembanyama.
At Betway, the Spurs are futures favorites to win the NBA title next season, at +225, followed by the Thunder at +240, Boston Celtics at +650, defending champion New York Knicks at +700, then the Miami Heat at +1800, Denver Nuggets at +2200, Detroit Pistons at +2500, then the Los Angeles Lakers at +2500.
The Indiana Pacers are at +2800, with the Timberwolves at +3000.
The Raptors? +10000 to win the NBA title. We’ll see where those odds go if those trade rumours about the Raptors acquiring center Myles Turner from the Bucks come to fruition.
Bettors might also want to take a peek at MVP futures at Betway: Wembanyama is +200, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is +400, Nikola Jokic is +450, Luka Doncic +500, then Antetokounmpo at +1200.
