The Milwaukee Bucks are the new NBA title favorites after acquiring Damian Lillard in a three-team trade on Wednesday.
FanDuel is the only major American sportsbook to post new odds after the trade, and the Bucks have zoomed to the top of the leaderboard.
While Milwaukee had been +600 — the third-best favorites behind the Celtics (+470) and Nuggets (+480) — prior to news of the trade, now the Bucks are now firm +360 favorites, alone on the odds board.
It’s a startling development, with the Bucks trading the best perimeter defender in Jrue Holiday for a chance at a superstar guard. That’s something that Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t had the luxury of playing with throughout his already illustrious career.
Behind the Bucks at +360 are the defending champion Nuggets at (+430). Denver’s odds actually got better because of this trade — presumably because of the heightened competition in the Eastern Conference as a result of the Lillard trade.
The Celtics’ odds fell slightly from +470 to +480. Boston now helms Milwaukee’s prior position as third-best favorites.
And the Suns rose from +650 to +600 after trading away Deandre Ayton as a result of this deal. In return, they will get Jusuf Nurkic — and get rid of a locker room liability.
The next three teams on the odds table are all in the Western Conference. The Lakers (+1400), Warriors (+1600) and Clippers (+2000) round out the top contenders in the NBA, according to oddsmakers.