Nice little Saturday for the Philadelphia 76ers. Even before they took the court for their game, their odds to win the NBA title have nearly doubled with the news that the team has reportedly acquired four-time All-Star, Jimmy Butler.
Per @vegasmurray, #76ers go from 30-1 to 16-1 to win NBA title at @SuperBookUSA. Wolves fall from 200-1 to 500-1. https://t.co/zGQLOFM8tZ— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkesESPN) November 10, 2018
Off to a bit of a slow start this season, especially on the road, the Sixers went from a 30-1 longshot this morning to a team with the fourth-best odds to bring the Larry O'Brien Trophy parading down Broad St. Not bad.
While they're still the third-choice team in the Atlantic Division, the Sixers odds to win the division title have shrunk to just 5.5-to-1 and their chances to reach the NBA Finals is now just 4.4-to-1, both according to Fan Duel.
There's one constant, though, that Warriors fans are pointing out.
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Jimmy Butler has been traded to the Sixers
Warriors odds to win the NBA Finals:
Before trade: -250
After trade: -250 pic.twitter.com/lwan5AmYJy— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 10, 2018
The acquisition, as shown by the sportsbooks, provides a huge boost to the Sixers chances in the East, despite what they have given up, but the fact that the Warriors odds haven't changed is actually not a surprise. The oddsmakers still predict that either the Celtics or the Raptors will make the NBA Finals, so, this changes absolutely nothing for the Warriors today.
We'll see what happens, though, when the Sixers deploy Butler on the court and, if there's a perfect match and the Sixers look better than expected, we could see that change.
