2024-25 NBA Futures Odds: Top 5 Trades Already Shifting This Season’s Landscape
It feels like yesterday when NBA betting fans were sitting at the edge of their seats, looking at LeBron and Bronny James taking the court together in the first LA Lakers game of the season. Come figure, it’s already been almost two weeks since then, with the season already starting to show its first signs of which squads are truly in it for the smoke or just waiting to get smoked.
Like in previous years, a lot of hype was built around major deals and trades around the league. Some familiar names switched cities and even coasts, giving their new squads reason to believe that playoff and title contention could be ripe for the taking.
With hundreds of deals made since the start of the offseason, we’re breaking down the top five trades already shifting this season’s landscape.
NBA Odds Breakdown: 5 Best Trades Made This Offseason
5. Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers
Being a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers must be quite a trip. You’re never good or bad enough to be considered flops or contenders. Every season, the narrative is the same. The Sixers come in as proverbial title contenders, with MVP star center Joel Embiid leading the way, only to find themselves in whatever kind of rut they can get themselves into and fail to meet expectations again.
With a healthy Embiid (a lock for NBA MVP betting odds), Tyrese Maxey looking to take a significant leap in quality, along with former LA Clippers veteran star Paul George, things were supposed to be different.
I’ve been a PG fan since his days with the Indiana Pacers, and believe me, for a New York Knicks fan, that’s something hard to admit. George offers the kind of veteran spunk that a team like Philadelphia definitely needs. Even if he still hasn’t played a minute with Philadelphia, this trade could pay off substantial dividends for the Sixers once George, Embiid, and Maxey are rocking the courts together.
Paul George could debut vs the Clippers.
So, here is PG’s best game ever vs the Clippers:
–42 PTS
— 9 RBS
— 7 ASTAnd the win. pic.twitter.com/wY23SplZQc
— GeorgeMuse (@MusePG8) November 1, 2024
For now, taking the fifth position feels right. Later down the season, if everything works out for PG and Philly, this could be one of the most significant moves.
4. Chris Paul to the San Antonio Spurs
Is it valid to say San Antonio has everything it needs to succeed after adding veteran point guard and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul to its roster?
They have one of the best coaches the league has seen in decades, Gregg Popovich. They also have a solid core of young talents upon which to build. And, as if that wasn’t enough, they have Victor Wembanyama, the latest generational talent to hit the league, coming off a first season in which he won Rookie of the Year and already leading the list of odds to win the 2024-2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award with +150.
After adding CP3, it felt as if the Spurs hit the nail on the head, giving their young crop of players a professor-style vet to show them the ropes and truly turn them into a feisty, fun-to-watch, and most importantly, functional team.
Team win 🙌@CP3 pic.twitter.com/GwqGIOGWdP
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 1, 2024
Paul is the kind of player a team like the Spurs needs right now, considering that playoff contention is still a season or two away. Sorry to be that guy, but San Antonio’s +8000 odds to win the NBA Western Conference title speaks volumes here. Still, in the long run, the Spurs trading for CP3 will be one of the best investments Popovich’s team has made in some time.
3. Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks
As soon as NBA news and rumors sites broke the Golden State Warriors/Dallas Mavericks trade, which saw Klay Thompson leave Steph Curry behind to join Luka Doncic, there was a swarm of criticism about how the former “Splash Brother” being too much of a risk for the Mavs to take.
After a couple of weeks, it seems as if Thompson managed to shut all criticism down and is starting to become a pivotal piece in Dallas’ lineup. He even made history by making 2,500 career three-pointers in the team’s game against the Houston Rockets on Halloween night.
Klay Thompson knocks down his 2,500th 3-pointer, just the 6th player to reach the figure!👏 pic.twitter.com/AWqjjJ1asw
— NBA (@NBA) November 1, 2024
Thompson has been delivering for Dallas with 16.5 points per game on average, 1.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. Even if his numbers weren’t where they’re at, Klay’s championship pedigree and ability to offer Doncic and Kyrie Irving some much-needed relief leading the team is exactly what the Mavs need.
If Dallas wants to make it to the NBA finals once again and propel Doncic to becoming the league’s best player, the help a player like Klay Thompson can bring will be essential.
2. DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings
I’ve had a soft spot for the Sacramento Kings since the Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams, and Peja Stojakovic days. Ask any old-school hoops betting fan about that team and they’ll tell you those cats made betting on NBA props cool before it was even a thing.
This season, with Sacramento looking like a team unwilling to take any BS from anybody, I’m giving the DeMar DeRozan trade to the Kings the No.2 spot on the list.
Adding DeRozan to the Kings makes as much sense as adding Klay to the Mavs. Furthermore, whoever in their right mind thinks DeRozan is washed up or has nothing left to offer in the league clearly has no clue about how basketball is played.
As soon as the trade was made official, there was chatter about how DeRozan would end up costing Sacramento’s two main stars, Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, shooting opportunities and even slowing down the team’s attack. From the looks of it, that couldn’t be further away from the truth, with DeMar, Damontas, and De’Aaron forming one of the best offensive trios out west.
Can we all agree that the idea of DeMar DeRozan killing the Kings spacing was way off?
The ease at which he draws double teams creates so many great looks for the Kings shooters. pic.twitter.com/71Wt3k1ENj
— Will Z. Stats (@will_zimmerle) October 31, 2024
The Western Conference has always been tough, meaning the level of competition this year will only go higher and higher as the season progresses. But if it were up to me, I’d be snatching up Sacramento’s odds to win the west as one of my preferred future NBA expert picks.
1. Karl Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks
No, I’m not putting this trade at No.1 because I’m a Knicks fan. Karl Anthony Towns going to the Knicks takes the No.1 spot on my list because of the leap in New York’s odds to win the NBA title after signing KAT.
New York was in dire need of a scoring big man. They’ve got their act together on defense and transition, led by the team’s bonafide No.1 star, Jalen Brunson. But they still needed somebody else to back Brunson, especially if New York’s plans this season are primarily to give Boston a run for the Eastern Conference crown.
KAT has easily taken to his role with New York, scoring 44 points against the Miami Heat in New York’s last game, a team record for points from a starting center since Patrick Ewing. As the season progresses and Towns continues to find his role in the Knicks’ starting five, this trade has the highest return on investment on this list.
“They were KAT food, because the big fella was eating.” 😤 @KendrickPerkins, @BobbyMarks42, and @Rjeff24 on Karl-Anthony Towns putting up 44 PTS and 13 REB against the Heat 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ijEjih8O2N
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 31, 2024
In fact, mark this final NBA prediction down: give Karl Anthony Towns a full season running MSG with Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anuoby, and Mikal Bridges, and New York might end up giving its fans what they’ve been longing for since Ewing’s days: a trip to the NBA finals.
