We are still less than a full week from Kawhi Leonard’s decision to play in Los Angeles. Not the L.A. Lakers as many were expecting, but the L.A. Clippers. With this move Kawhi who is an NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP, has demonstrated why he is the most important figure in the NBA.
For starters, his move single handedly impacted three NBA franchises at the exact same time! His former team, the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers and the move that shocked everyone the Oklahoma City Thunder (by way of his recruiting of Paul George to join him). Not to mention the fact that now Russell Westbrook wants out of OKC. Several reports indicate that Miami may be his landing spot.
The balance in the NBA has shifted and the playing field has been leveled thanks to a quiet kid from Southern California. With the Golden State Warriors out of the picture it’s essentially a two-team race out west to the NBA Finals.
The first sportsbooks to re-post their 2020 NBA title odds after the Clippers’ two massive transactions all set the Clippers as the new favorite. Mere rumors of “Kawhi” to the Clippers” had LAC’s title odds at a fairly short 7.7% chance prior to July 1, and that number has moved all the way to 25% once Leonard officially signed and the team added Paul George.
Meanwhile, Toronto saw its own title odds take a massive hit, falling from 12.5% to 4.8% after the 2019 Finals MVP signed elsewhere. See which sites have actually updated their odds here. Keeping in mind that some of them haven’t updated their odds yet due to the fact that signings are still underway. Once all is set, compare the books to see which one has better value.
We’re just getting over this past season and have an incredible 2019/2020 NBA season to look forward to.
APPARATUS 