NBA futures take wild swings with LeBron James, DeMarcus Cousins deals
If you were planning on betting the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA title next year, you’ve likely missed your best window.
NBA championship futures have taken wild swings in the last 24 hours and now heavily favor Golden State to secure a fourth championship in five years.
Lakers briefly made betting favorites to win NBA title
That wasn’t the case Monday morning. Sports book BetmyBookie wildly overreacted to LeBron James agreeing to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers and briefly made the Lakers the favorites to win the title early Monday.
Updated odds to win the 2018-19 NBA Championship (@betmybookie):
Lakers +125
Warriors +200
Rockets +450
Celtics +650
76ers +1200
Field +2000— OddsShark (@OddsShark) July 2, 2018
Never mind that James just got swept out of the NBA Finals and would have to get through the same Warriors team that beat him in addition to a much tougher Western Conference slate to win a title with a Lakers roster not exactly brimming with talent.
Boogie brings sense back to betting lines
The Warriors signed DeMarcus Cousins later Monday, bringing betting lines back to earth and likely ending any hope of getting the Warriors again for cheap.
Golden State was promptly put in its right place as the overwhelming favorite to cut down the nets next season with an opening line of -120 by the same bookmaker after Cousins signed.
And at @betmybookie:
Warriors -120
Lakers +250
Celtics +650
Rockets +750
76ers +1200
Field +2500 https://t.co/c0xshcJbHW— OddsShark (@OddsShark) July 3, 2018
Bettors still thought the price for Golden State was good, and moved the line throughout Monday night.
Money has already moved the needle on the Warriors @betmybookie.
Updated 2018-19 NBA Championship odds:
Warriors -175
Celtics +650
Lakers +750
Rockets +850
76ers +1200
Field +2000— OddsShark (@OddsShark) July 3, 2018
Late Monday, Golden State had moved from a -125 favorite to a -200 favorite post-Boogie signing.
Make that -200 for the Warriors. https://t.co/TH1eXYfrlX
— OddsShark (@OddsShark) July 3, 2018
The days of getting the Warriors cheap appear to be over.
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Jason Owens is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter.