It is not always that an NBA team can add an MVP after the start of the season. When things got rough between James Harden and the Houston Rockets, the Brooklyn Nets were ready to attack.
When the Rockets were brought down by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night and Harden said at his post-game press conference that he did not think Houston could be fixed, an exchange was inevitable.
Harden, the 2018 MVP, was sent to the Nets on Wednesday afternoon. The Nets were already one of the most intriguing teams in the league with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (when and if he returned to the Nets), and they just added a player who averaged 29.6 points per game in his nine seasons. Rockets.
It’s a fun move and the Nets are adding an undeniably talented star. But does that make them a better team from a betting perspective? If you believe in changing championship odds after trading, the Nets are now one of the two best teams in the NBA.
James Harden’s deal shakes the NBA’s chances
BetMGM quickly published the NBA championship odds after the deal details were settled. And they were optimistic about the Nets.
The Lakers, who are coming out of a title and always receive a lot of bets in the championship, are still the favorites with +250. The Nets are now +300 to win the title, which is incredibly low for a 6-6 team. The Nets won +600 to win the title at BetMGM when the season started, and they are the second biggest disadvantage of the book in that market.
No other team is even close to the Lakers and Nets. Clippers are next at +600. The Bucks follow at +700 and no other team is less than +1400.
It is not a big surprise. Big stars get a lot of attention and the Nets have a trio of superstars. They’ll have to figure out chemistry and how to protect anyone, and Harden will have to prove he’s stuck after a lot of negative stories leading up to the season, but BetMGM wasn’t going to give Nets a big number by winning it all.
How much will Harden help the Nets?
The Rockets were not good this season with Harden. They were 2-6 against the spread when he played. The Rockets won and covered in the only game that Harden missed.
Houston is not as good as Brooklyn, of course. But the Nets gave up Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Taurean Price in trade. LeVert was scoring 18.5 points per game. Allen averaged 11.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. Prince had 8.1 points. Brooklyn would not hesitate to give up any of these players in the business, but there is still a lot to lose. And losing Allen makes Nets even worse in one fundamental way: defensively.
Allen was a solid rim protector on a team that was, at best, mediocre in defense with him. Harden’s defensive deficiencies may be exaggerated, but he will not help that much. If Brooklyn does not win the Eastern Conference, defense is likely to be the reason.
The Nets are already playing at the fourth fastest pace in the league and could go faster with Harden and Irving in the lineup. This will mean many points, and many points allowed as well. The totals above / below the nets are about to rise, and they will still exceed many times over.
The Nets are likely to be better with Harden – they are only 5-7 against the spread this season – but the market will adjust as well. If you want to bet on the new look of Nets to win the title or even any game in the near future, there won’t be much value.
With a change on Wednesday, expectations have changed a lot for Brooklyn.
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