The Kevin Durant era officially came to an end in Brooklyn early Thursday morning when the Nets shipped the superstar forward and T.J. Warren to the Suns for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and multiple draft picks. It was the second colossal trade that Brooklyn made over the past week after moving All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to Mavericks.
While this move signifies a complete rebuild for the Nets, the Suns are now in a great position to make a deep playoff run and potentially go back to the NBA Finals. Phoenix saw their futures odds shift dramatically overnight, as they are now the favorite to win Western Conference and have the second-best odds to win the NBA title.
Below, we’ll look at how BetMGM's NBA Championship odds changed after the Suns acquired Durant and whether it's worth laying any action on Phoenix to win it all.
2023 Suns NBA Championship odds: Before Kevin Durant trade
| Phoenix Suns' odds to win 2023 NBA Championship | +1600 |
Before the Suns acquired the superstar forward, they were considered a sleeper to win the NBA title at 16/1 odds (+1600) on Feb. 1. Phoenix has dealt with their share of injuries this season, especially ones to Devin Booker and Chris Paul. However, thanks to head coach Monty Williams, the Suns were able to tread water and hang around as a top-five seed in the West. Even though the Suns stayed the course without Booker and Paul, their odds to win the West were +900 (9/1).
2023 Suns NBA Championship odds: After Kevin Durant trade
| Phoenix Suns' odds to win 2023 NBA Championship | +450 |
With Durant now in the fold, the oddsmakers love the Suns to win the NBA title, as they have the second-best odds (+425) behind the Celtics (+350), who own the best record in the East. Phoenix is also the favorite to win the West (+225) over the Nuggets (+350), who have the best record in the West and are led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
While the Suns lost a lot of depth at the forward spot, with Bridges and Johnson (Crowder hadn't been playing this year), they are adding an all-time great scorer in Durant, who is one of the best in the Association when healthy. This season, Durant is averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. He's also shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point range. Durant is currently dealing with an MCL sprain, which has sidelined him since last month. There's no timetable for when the 13-time All-Star will return to the court, but clearly, the Suns don't think he'll be out much longer. When the Suns have him, Booker, Paul, and Ayton on the floor, they will be tough to beat come playoff time.
Betting advice: At +450 odds, there's still some value to bet on the Suns to win the entire thing even though the better play was at the beginning of the month at +1600. This Phoenix team will take some time to jell, as it lost a lot of scoring and defense with Bridges and Johnson and will now have to wait for Durant to get healthy. If Durant can return shortly after the All-Star break, Phoenix's title odds could increase a little bit more. However, bettors could also wait to see how Phoenix finishes up the first half of the season, as their last four games before the All-Star break are against the Hawks, Pacers, Kings, and Clippers. A couple of losses in there could yield some slightly better value on a futures bet, but at this point, the Suns are and will continue to be priced as a top-five contender.
