The Boston Celtics have the worst odds to land Irving
NBA free agency began Thursday, but all the talk has been on trades, especially for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Despite exercising his player option, Irving has been reportedly sought after, and ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst floated the idea of Durant and Irving traded together in a package sending both superstars to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Phoenix Suns are currently a betting favorite to land Durant, one of the teams he reportedly would like to be traded to. But the favorite to be Irving’s next team is indeed the Lakers at -120 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The prop is listed as “NBA Team to Play Next Regular Season Minute For?” The Nets are the next favorite after the Lakers listed at +425.
An interesting team listed on the prop is the Dallas Mavericks (+550). The listing likely comes after insider Evan Massey’s report stating the Mavericks would be making an “aggressive pursuit” to trade for Irving if they lost Jalen Brunson — the New York Knicks reportedly signed Brunson to a four-year, $104 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Naturally, if the Lakers are in talks to acquire a star player, the Los Angeles Clippers would be involved. How the deal would work is up to fans and front office executives, but the Clippers are +800 favorites to ruin a reunion between Irving and LeBron James.
For the curious individual, the team with the longest odds to land Irving is the Boston Celtics at +8000. While trading away Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant would divide the fanbase, it’s safe to say trading Brown to acquire Irving would go down as one of the worst trades in franchise history, based on the illogical reasoning for the decision.
Whether Irving is dealt away or stays in Brooklyn, the Nets have clearly taken a steep fall in perception as a franchise, and it will likely take years to earn back goodwill from fans.