Anthony Trade: Thunder’s Odds Rise
How much did the Thunder’s NBA Finals odds improve after the team acquired Carmelo Anthony this weekend?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Thunder are now 18/1 to win the NBA Finals next season. Those odds show a dramatic improvement from where they were, which was 30/1 before adding Anthony on Sunday. They also represent a major shift from Oklahoma City’s opening odds, which were set at 100/1 following last year’s NBA Finals.
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On Sunday, the Knicks agreed to trade Anthony to Oklahoma City in exchange for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a draft pick. The trade was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The pick headed to New York is the Bulls’ 2018 second-rounder.
Even though the Knicks aren’t getting back the proper value in the Anthony trade, they didn’t have much leverage due to Carmelo’s no-trade clause. Anthony joins Russell Westbrook and Paul George in a revamped OKC lineup. It’ll be interesting to see how Anthony fares now that he’s not the focal-point like he was in New York.
As for the Knicks, they opened as massive 300/1 long shots to win 2018’s NBA Finals. Their odds climbed even higher to 500/1 before the trade and apparently oddsmakers feel as though those odds are high enough, because that’s where they sit right now. The Knicks are attempting to get less dysfunctional, although they’re also less talented heading into 2018.