The Nets’ championship odds have improved now that Kevin Durant will return to play alongside Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons.
The Nets are moving forward with their team and front office as currently constructed. Their championship odds, which have wavered throughout the offseason with Kevin Durant’s future with the team in doubt, have adjusted accordingly.
Brooklyn’s odds have shortened to as low as +600, only behind fellow Eastern Conference contenders in the Celtics (+550), the 2023 NBA championship favorites. The Nets’ odds are currently tied with or ahead of other contenders like the defending champion Warriors (+600), Suns (+600), Bucks (+700) and Clippers (+700).
The Nets have +350 odds at SI Sportsbook to win the Eastern Conference, behind just the Celtics (+225) and Bucks (+300).
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Durant staying with the Nets ends what had otherwise been a saga that would have produced a seismic shift in the odds had he landed with another team.
The Nets released a statement Tuesday from general manager Sean Marks that said he, coach Steve Nash, owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, Durant and Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman met and “agreed to move forward with their partnership.”
The last line of the statement reads: “We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”
With Durant suiting up for the Nets this season alongside Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, that becomes much more likely.
Brooklyn’s title odds were as long as +2500 at SI Sportsbook as recent as Tuesday morning since questions lingered regarding whether Durant would be on the roster going forward. The Nets’ championship hopes are directly linked to Durant’s role on the team and it seemed Durant could be chasing a title with another team.
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Just two weeks ago, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Durant met with Tsai, reiterated his June 30 trade request and told the team owner to choose between himself or the coach/general manager duo of Nash and Marks.
Brooklyn had been tied with the Celtics for the second-best title odds at SI Sportsbook behind the Warriors before Durant shocked the NBA world with a trade request on the day free agency began. That was after Irving, who Durant chose to pair with in Brooklyn, opted into his player option to stay put for at least one more year.
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Durant’s trade request instantly moved the markets with rumors linking him to the Heat and Suns, who both saw their title odds shorten as a result.
The Celtics, whose productive offseason has them as the oddsmakers’s team to beat, were at one point linked to Durant and Monday morning it was even reported that the Grizzlies joined the list of suitors for Durant’s services.
Brooklyn’s odds shot up during the summer amid so much uncertainty before they normalized Tuesday.
SI NBA: Durant Stays Put - Now What?
The Nets entered the 2021-22 season as title favorites only to see their championship hopes derailed by injuries as well as Irving deciding to not be vaccinated, which led to him being ineligible to play for much of the season. They also traded James Harden to the 76ers for Simmons, who infamously did not play during the postseason.
Brooklyn competed in the play-in tournament to earn the 7-seed before its tumultuous year ended with a first-round sweep against the Celtics.
Expectations are at least somewhat tempered comparatively for their coming season, which tips off Oct. 19 when they host the Pelicans.
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