Advertisement

The Lakers' Luka Doncic trade shot their title odds through the roof

prince j. grimes
·1-min read
Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates after making a basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images ORG XMIT: IMAGN-894223 ORIG FILE ID: 20241225_jpm_an4_M20992.JPG
Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates after making a basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images ORG XMIT: IMAGN-894223 ORIG FILE ID: 20241225_jpm_an4_M20992.JPG

The Los Angeles Lakers' stunning trade for Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic early Sunday morning gives the Lake Show their new franchise cornerstone for the next decade. The move is expected to be a win in the short term too.

TRADE GRADES: Who won the Lakers-Mavericks swap?

Though LA had to part with Anthony Davis in the deal, the acquisition of Doncic moved the team's NBA title odds from +4000 to +1400 at BetMGM. That movement was good enough to spring the Lakers from fifth-best odds in the Western Conference (tied with four other teams) to tied for second with the Denver Nuggets, only trailing the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (+225).

Since the deal, 64% of bets and 57% of money in the NBA championship market is on LA. The Lakers' odds to win the West moved from +2000 to +900.

The move sent Dallas' title odds in the opposite direction, dropping the Mavs from +2000 to +3000, which is just ninth-best of Western Conference teams.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Lakers' Luka Doncic trade shot their title odds through the roof