Damian Lillard Trade Makes Bucks Favorites in NBA Futures Odds
The massive three-team trade that saw Damian Lillard go from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday impacted the NBA Futures market for two teams.
The NBA Futures odds on the Milwaukee Bucks went from +650 to +450, a hit because of the combination of the All-Star guard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. This will be the second time in league history that players are teammates after averaging 30 points per game in the previous season.
The +450 NBA futures odds made the Bucks the preseason favorite, ahead of the reigning champion Denver Nuggets (+500), Boston Celtics (+550), and Phoenix Suns (+600).
To see all the NBA championship odds on BetUs, and to get in on the NBA futures pool, click here.
The other duo was Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, who each averaged 30 points on the 1961-62 Lakers and 1962-63. In case you are curious, Baylor averaged 34 points in the second season and West checked in at 27.1 ppg.
The trade details:
FULL DETAILS OF DAMIAN LILLARD TRADE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/8x07axT2Bb
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 27, 2023
The other team whose NBA championship betting odds shifted was one that had no part in the deal.
Lillard, who quickly hit the top slot in Google Trends, had been vocal about wanting to play for the Miami Heat.
Because the Heat were unable to swing a deal for Lillard, their odds rose – significantly.
Miami started the day at +1000 and after failing to get Lillard, saw their NBA odds rise to +2500.
‘Farewell’ out on @AppleMusic and @TIDAL now. Hitting the rest of the platforms soon. #DameDOLLA
🫡 @EMPIRE for turning this around.
💿 https://t.co/2yhhL5wHkh pic.twitter.com/jFTpLslzqX
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) September 27, 2023
