John Wall’s plan to join the Clippers and the Hawks’ pending trade for Dejounte Murray has boosted each team’s future odds at SI Sportsbook.
Free agency hasn’t officially begun yet, but two moves have already been reported that had outsized impacts on the NBA championship futures betting markets.
Veteran point guard John Wall reportedly reached a buyout agreement with the Rockets earlier this week and intends to sign with the Clippers once he clears waivers and free agency officially opens at 6 p.m. ET Thursday.
The Hawks, meanwhile, landed Trae Young an All-Star running mate Wednesday when they traded for Spurs guard Dejounte Murray.
Check the Latest Odds and Lines at SI Sportsbook
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles was already near the top of betting markets due to the expectation of a full season of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clippers opened at +850 to win the 2023 championship at SI Sportsbook and are now down to +600 odds, tied for the second-best odds with the Nets and runner-up Celtics.
The Nets’ odds are holding strong with Kyrie Irving returning to Brooklyn.
The Clippers are acquiring Wall at a discounted cost after the buyout. Wall sat out the entirety of the 2021-22 season, played just 40 games for the Rockets in 2020-21 and missed all of the 2019-20 season due to injury. He has played just 72 games in total across four seasons since his last All-Star campaign with the Wizards.
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Los Angeles failed to make the playoffs this season after coming up short in the play-in tournament. Leonard tore his ACL in the 2021 postseason and did not return to action for this scrappy Clippers team. George battled injuries all season long and ended up playing just 31 games, though he did return for the play-in tournament.
The Clippers entered the 2019-20 season, their first with Leonard and George, as title favorites. Its expectations for this coming season are nearly as high once again with their star duo healthy, their depth still intact and the possibility of a rested, healthy Wall coming in and being a key contributor to a hopeful title team.
Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta had much longer odds after following up its 2021 Eastern Conference finals run with a first-round exit a few months ago. The Hawks opened at +8500 odds and have leapt to +5000 in the span of two weeks. They are now tied with the Pelicans and Raptors for the 14th-best odds in the league after sending three first-round picks, a future pick swap and forward Danilo Gallinari to San Antonio in exchange for Murray
Pairing Murray with Young makes for a dynamic backcourt pairing and will allow Young to play off the ball more. Murray assembled his first All-Star season in San Antonio this year, his fifth in the NBA, after averaging 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game and carrying his team to the play-in tournament.
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The Hawks threaded the needle of improving the roster and retaining both De’Andre Hunter and John Collins, who has been the subject of trade rumors in recent weeks.
Who Won the Hawks-Spurs Trade?
More signings and transactions are bound to shake up the league and the betting markets as deals become official once free agency begins, but Murray’s trade and the report of Wall’s pending acquisition have already begun to swing the odds.
2023 NBA Championship Odds
Warriors +500
Clippers +600
Celtics +600
Nets +600
Bucks +700
Suns +800
Heat +1400
76ers +1400
Lakers +1600
Mavericks +1600
Grizzlies +1600
Nuggets +2000
Jazz +4000
Hawks +5000
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