NBA: James Harden trade impact on NBA betting world

Another star in the NBA was traded on Tuesday after months of drama. This is the second trade in the last couple of months that had a huge impact on the NBA betting odds on every NBA betting sites, the last was the Damian Lillard trade. Starting in the offseason, we have seen a lot of star players switch teams, Chris Paul and Bradley Beal are a couple more examples. These trades have completely changed the betting picture, not just for the 2023-2024 championship, but also for the conference winners and awards.

Trade details

The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to trade All-Star guard James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, according to ESPN. This trade happened after months of drama, including Harden publicly calling 76ers president Daryl Morey a liar and Harden not playing in the first three games of the season. The 76ers sent Harden, Filip Petrusev, and P.J. Tucker to the Clippers. The Clippers sent Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr., and draft compensation back. Oklahoma City Thunder also sent draft compensation to the Sixers to make the deal work.

NBA Championship picture

This trade had a huge impact on the NBA betting picture, although the Clippers’ championship odds did not change by much on Bet99. After the NBA Finals, the Clippers had +1400 odds to win the championship on Bet99. Right now, the Clippers have +1250 odds to win the title, a small jump. On paper, the Clippers have one of the most talented rosters in the league.

With stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and now Harden, there are very few teams in the league that can match that amount of talent. Each one of those guys, with the exception of George, will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame without a doubt. And all of them have shown over the last couple of seasons that they still have a couple of good years left. With any luck and if they can avoid injuries, this team will be a serious threat in the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers had +1300 odds to win the title when the season ended. They were eliminated from the playoffs by the Boston Celtics in seven games. Right now, the Sixers have +2250 odds on Bet99, a huge fall. And rightfully so because without Harden, the 76ers do not look like a team that can win it all. They have talent, but Tyrese Maxey will need to be Joel Embiid’s version of Jamal Murray for the 76ers to have any realistic shot.

Tyrese Maxey is now the betting favourite to win the Most Improved Player award

On BetRivers, Tyrese Maxey is now the betting favourite to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. Maxey has +250 odds to win the award. Most sites had Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges as the betting favourite heading into the season. Bridges is tied for the second best odds with his teammate Cam Thomas and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham. They have +1200 odds. Raptors forward Scottie Barnes is right behind them at +1600. Going into the season, many thought Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole would also have a great shot at MIP. Poole has +2000 odds.

Maxey has been one of the better young players in the league for a couple of years now. With Harden on the team, he averaged 20.3 points per game. In three games without Harden this year, Maxey is averaging a stellar 30.3 ppg to go along with 6.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds. He is currently averaging the seventh most points in the league, one spot above Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Maxey is a solid choice for MIP with Harden now in LA. He could even be selected to his first All-Star team this year.