News of Kyrie Irving joining the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster trade didn’t only hit NBA players hard.
With Irving leaving the Brooklyn Nets and now officially paired with one of basketball’s biggest superstars in Luka Doncic (while LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers were left grasping at straws), bettors immediately considered the ramifications of this duo playing together. That is, aside from the Nets probably becoming irrelevant as legit contenders.
(Oh, and how about those rising Cleveland Cavaliers now, huh?)
On the one hand, Doncic and Irving will likely score points. A lot of them. It’ll be hard to stop two gifted scorers from getting buckets, usually as they please. On the other hand, there probably won’t be much defense played between the pair, offsetting a lot of the good they create.
The Mavericks’ NBA title chances pre-Irving trade and post-Irving trade with BetMGM likely reflect this reality. Before Irving was sent off to Dallas, the Mavericks had +2000 odds to win it all in June. Now that Irving will play with Doncic, the Mavericks have +1200 odds for ultimate glory — eighth-best amongst all teams and fifth-best in the West.
Of course, we don’t know precisely how Irving and Doncic will fit together, meaning the Mavericks could easily exceed initial bettors’ expectations. Or they could crash and burn like the Nets once did! Either or, really.
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