As the basketball world continues to process what very well may be the biggest single trade in NBA history, oddsmakers have begun diligently adjusting championship betting odds after the Dallas Mavericks dealt superstar Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and the Lakers' 2029 first-round draft pick.
The Utah Jazz are also involved in the blockbuster trade, receiving Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Los Angeles Clippers' 2025 second-round draft pick, and the Mavericks' 2025 second-round draft pick, as well. This marks the first time in league history that two reigning All-NBA players have ever been traded for each other midseason.
It's 1000% real: pic.twitter.com/ncNjpN37gU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
An obvious reaction to any cataclysmic move of this magnitude is a shift in betting odds involving the race to the Larry O'Brien trophy. The lines at Sportsbook have begun adjusting as a result of this groundbreaking news, and as things currently stand, the team benefiting the most here is the Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship Odds After Acquiring Luka Doncic
| Betting Odds Before Trade | Betting Odds After Trade |
|---|---|
| +4000 | +2100 |
Odds as of February 2, 2025 at Sportsbook
The Mavericks' odds, on the other hand, have absolutely plummeted after moving a player who just guided the team to the 2024 Finals not that long ago, albeit in a losing effort.
Dallas Mavericks NBA Championship Odds After Acquiring Anthony Davis
| Betting Odds Before Trade | Betting Odds After Trade |
|---|---|
| +1800 | +4000 |
Odds as of February 2, 2025 at Sportsbook
Why Have The Los Angeles Lakers' NBA Championship Odds Improved After Acquiring Luka Doncic?
The obvious answer here is that Los Angeles is receiving someone in Doncic who's widely considered to be one of the five greatest players on the planet when healthy. Not only that, he's someone the franchise can build around in a post-LeBron James world, as the 40-year-old forward's career is winding down with the Lakers' title window all but closed prior to pulling off this trade.
Don't let Doncic being out of action since Dec. 25 let you forget that he just led all players in scoring last season at 33.9 points per game, which was 3.5 more points than anyone else. Along with his 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists, he was the only player to ever have produced a line of 33-9-9 for an entire campaign, and Doncic accomplished that prior to guiding Dallas to the Finals as the fifth seed in the Western Conference before coming up short against the Boston Celtics.
There's a reason why this trade hasn't thrust Los Angeles right to the top of the leaderboard, though. Perhaps going from 40-to-1 to 21-to-1 in one fell swoop is just a reactionary leap as oddsmakers attempt to wrap their minds around what's transpired, because in the short term, the Lakers are still ill-equipped to contend alongside the likes of the Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder. Davis was undoubtedly the team's greatest defender and a former three-time All-Defensive First Team member, yet Los Angeles still only ranked in the bottom-third of the league in that department allowing 114.1 points per 100 possessions (21st). Doncic has never been known for being even an above-average defender, and none of the accompanying pieces coming over from the Lone Star State will aid there either.
Who even knows what James' future in purple and gold looks like ahead of next week's trade deadline, because if this trade is any indicator, nothing is off the table. Even if it's for a moment in time, though, a combination of James and Doncic should be one of the more aesthetically-pleasing one-two punches we've ever had the pleasure of watching on the hardwood. Yes, this trade has more long-term upside than in the present, but we just saw what a motivated Doncic could do in last year's playoffs, and there's no denying he'll be out for blood following a trade he had no idea was coming his way.
Los Angeles Lakers Trade Grade: A
Why Have The Dallas Mavericks' NBA Championship Odds Sunk After Acquiring Anthony Davis?
According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, there were concerns within the Mavericks' front office surrounding Doncic's long-term health and conditioning, especially when it comes to his lack of discipline with his diet. He's been out of action since Christmas Day after straining his calf and has only suited up for 22 games this season, with Dallas just barely above the .500 mark at 26-23.
Even with all of those worries about the franchise star, the return the Mavericks got for a generational talent like Doncic still feels like only a morsel of what it could have been, and that's even with a 10-time All-Star and former champion in Davis coming their way. This isn't meant to disrespect Davis in the slightest, as he's putting up 25.7 points on 52.8 percent shooting, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game, but it can't be overlooked that he's going to be turning 32 next month while Doncic is only 25 with his best years still ahead of him.
Davis' new teammates in Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson are also 32 and 34, respectively, putting more pressure on Dallas to compete for its second-ever championship and first since 2011 right now rather than continue to roll with Doncic and capitalize once he's reached his prime.
There's also the question of fit in Dallas' frontcourt as the team has relied on Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford at the five spot, which is a position Davis has logged 95 percent of his minutes at this season. He hasn't really been a power forward since 2020-21, and Davis won't be stretching the floor alongside two bigs who can't either as he hasn't converted better than 30 percent of his 3-point attempts since 2019-20.
This move felt desperate on the Mavericks' part, and perhaps we'll all come to know more about how this all unfolded in the days ahead. For now, it's one of the more baffling, puzzling, and downright shocking moves ever made by an organization. Oddsmakers are right in sinking their title odds for the time being, because parting with someone as elite as Doncic out of thin air (to the public anyway) deserves to be scrutinized with a pessimistic outlook moving forward.
Dallas Mavericks Trade Grade: F
