The Raptors went out and got the best player on the trade block, but that hardly moved the needle on the NBA sportsbooks.
Toronto acquired Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, but in the deal lost a prime talent of its own in DeMar DeRozan.
Though the Raptors finished first in the Eastern Conference this past season, they were bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the Boston Celtics getting Gordon Hayward back and the Philadelphia 76ers expected to continue growing, it was not expected that Toronto — which fired coach Dwane Casey — was going to surge back to the top.
That appears to remain the case after Wednesday’s deal. Here’s a look at the latest East odds.
Such news isn’t exactly surprising.
Leonard is coming back from a mysterious quad injury, and the Raptors’ bench remains weak after being wildly underwhelming last season. The Celtics have been a consensus favorite since LeBron James bolted for the Los Angeles Lakers, and with the Raptors not becoming tremendously better after the trade it’s reasonable that they aren’t exactly soaring on the sportsbooks.
