NBA betting: Title odds move for Atlanta Hawks after Dejounte Murray trade
NBA free agency gets underway on Thursday night, but the big moves didn't wait. On Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks acquired guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs for Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks and a future pick swap. This obviously won't be the last big move of the offseason, but it's already had an impact on the futures market for the 2023 NBA title.
Murray is a big acquisition
In 2021-22, the Atlanta Hawks finished in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They won games in the play-in tournament against Cleveland and Charlotte. In the first round of the playoffs, they were quickly eliminated by the Miami Heat in five games. It wasn't a failure of a season, but it was certainly disappointing after Atlanta's run to the conference finals in 2021.
Already featuring one of the game's more dynamic talents in Trae Young, the Hawks bolstered their backcourt even further by acquiring Dejounte Murray from the Spurs. Young and Murray will be the first pair of teammates in NBA history who each averaged over 20 points and 8 assists per game in the previous season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Last season, Murray averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game. He was fourth in the league in assists per game and ranked in the top-30 in both other categories. He had 13 triple-doubles, the second highest mark in the league behind Denver's Nikola Jokic. Murray also led the league in steals.
Murray and Young form a formidable duo for the Hawks, and they have some solid pieces around them. John Collins, De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela are solid role players. They still probably are a few pieces away from being a real championship contender, but their odds have moved significantly already. Atlanta opened at 66-to-1 to win the NBA title, but after the trade, their odds have moved all the way down to 40-to-1.
Other movement around the league
As the offseason continues on, the odds for the futures market will continue to move. We've already touched on the Lakers being a popular bet and the acquisition of John Wall impacting the Clippers' prospects. What other teams have seen their odds move?
The Brooklyn Nets have moved from +750 to +850 to win the NBA title. It seems like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are sticking around for now, but the vibes aren't great around Brooklyn.
The odds for the Denver Nuggets dropped from 14-to-1 to 16-to-1 after they traded Monte Morris and Will Barton to Washington for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.
The odds for the New York Knicks moved from 250-to-1 down to 150-1, mainly fueled by the Jalen Brunson rumors. They're still a long shot, but not as extreme.
After trading away Dejounte Murray, the Spurs' championship odds dropped from 350-to-1 to 500-to-1.