Nets, Mavericks Title Odds Change Drastically After Kyrie Irving Trade

With Kyrie Irving on the move from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks, the NBA championship odds for both teams have fluctuated wildly.

Before the trade, which became official Monday, Dallas’s championship odds were at 40/1, but now sit at 17/1 (+1675), per bookmaker.eu

Brooklyn’s odds, meantime, have gone in the opposite direction. Before the blockbuster deal, Brooklyn’s odds were set at 15/1 but now have dropped to 20/1 (+1950).

All eyes are on Kevin Durant to see how he will react to the trade and the new-look Nets, who are still looking to improve their roster ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

As for Dallas, Mark Cuban and company are hoping to make a run at a championship by bringing in the controversial Irving to pair with him superstar Luka Doncic while many around the NBA wonder how the two ball-dominant guards will coexist.

“Get your popcorn ready for this show,” one NBA executive told NJ Advance Media in a tongue-in-cheek in reference to the drama Irving brings to a franchise.

The Boston Celtics (another former Irving team) have the shortest odds to win the title at +333, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks at +580 and the Denver Nuggets at +650.

LeBron James and the Lakers are well behind at +3500.

James told ESPN’s Michael Wilbon he was “disappointed” the Lakers didn’t add Irving. The duo led the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title in 2016.

Irving could still wind up with the Lakers this season in free agency or via a sign-and-trade with Dallas.

“But my focus has shifted now back to where it should be, and that’s this club and what we have in this locker room,” James told Wilbon.

“It’s a quick pivot, it don’t take me long. I don’t get too excited about the possibilities of things that can be … We had an opportunity, the Lakers name was out there, we had an opportunity, it didn’t happen, we move on and we finish this season strong, try to get a bid into the postseason where I feel, if we go in healthy, we can compete with anybody.”