The 2013 NBA Draft got pretty wild once the trading got started. Right off the bat the Cleveland Cavaliers fooled a lot of people who had been making predictions in their ‘mock drafts’ in the days before the event by making UNLV’s Anthony Bennett the first pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Sports writers gasped but basketball insiders just smiled and shook their heads. Anthony Bennett is a solid basketball player and a good choice for the Cavs program.
Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter, Cody Zeller and Alex Len all went next…about as expected. Then Nerlens Noel of Kentucky, who had been projected to be the number one pick by many, was taken by the New Orleans Pelicans… but then, before he could get the Pelicans cap on good… it was announced that Noel had been traded by the Pelicans to the Philadelphia 76ers for All-Star Point Guard Jrue Holiday. Wow, that was quick!
But there were bigger shocks in store for the evening. The Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets announced a trade deal that would have a dramatic on the odds to win the NBA Championship in 2014.
With the addition of the great Paul Pierce, All-Star Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to the roster in Brooklyn, the Nets chances went from a rather dismal 40-to-1 shot all the way up the ladder to 10-to-1 to win it all. That is the largest overnight change in odds that anyone I know can remember!
Bovada, a major sportsbook in Costa Rica, was the first to post the newly figured odds to win the 2014 NBA title. Let’s take a look at the changes.
| June 21st | After the draft | |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Heat | 2/1 | 2/1 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 11/2 | 11/2 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 18/1 | 10/1* |
| Brooklyn Nets | 40/1 | 10/1* |
| Chicago Bulls | 15/2 | 11/1 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 17/2 | 11/1 |
| Indiana Pacers | 16/1 | 15/1 |
| Houston Rockets | 20/1 | 20/1 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 20/1 | 20/1 |
| New York Knicks | 18/1 | 22/1 |
| Golden State Warriors | 25/1 | 25/1 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 22/1 | 25/1 |
| Denver Nuggets | 25/1 | 33/1* |
| Dallas Mavericks | 40/1 | 40/1 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 50/1 | 66/1* |
| Boston Celtics | 33/1 | 75/1* |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 150/1 | 100/1* |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 75/1 | 100/1 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 75/1 | 100/1 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 150/1 | 100/1* |
| Portland Trailblazers | 100/1 | 100/1 |
| Toronto Raptors | 150/1 | 100/1* |
| Utah Jazz | 100/1 | 100/1 |
| Washington Wizards | 150/1 | 100/1* |
| Detroit Pistons | 300/1 | 150/1* |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 100/1 | 150/1* |
| Sacramento Kings | 150/1 | 150/1 |
| Orlando Magic | 500/1 | 300/1* |
| Phoenix Suns | 300/1 | 300/1 |
| Charlotte Bobcats | 500/1 | 500/1 |
