Things are weird with the Golden State Warriors at the moment. Earlier in the week, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green had a heated confrontation that prompted an unpaid suspension for Green and, while the two sides put on a reasonable public face in the aftermath of an ugly incident, Golden State flopped spectacularly in a blowout loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday evening.
With that as the backdrop, the good folks at BetOnline.ag released odds on the team that will employ Durant for the 2019-20 NBA season and, in a noteworthy twist, the Warriors are not atop the list. The Los Angeles Lakers (3/1) are in the handicapping driver’s seat for Durant’s services, as he would theoretically join forces with LeBron James with an eye toward title contention. It comes as no surprise that public sentiment might swing in favor of the Lakers given all that’s happening in Oakland, but betting markets can often foreshadow real-life movement and this is, at the very least, interesting.
The Warriors do boast the second-best odds (7/2) to keep Durant on board and, of course, Golden State can present him with the clearest path to winning, both financially and in terms of titles. Steph Curry and DeMarcus Cousins are currently out of the lineup with injuries but, at full strength, there is a reason the Warriors are favored to win yet another title and Durant’s choice will be critical in whether they will enter the 2019-20 campaign as favorites yet again.
Elsewhere, the usual suspects are on the list, with the New York Knicks (5/1) and Los Angeles Clippers (9/1) coming in at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. There is a lot of noise about Durant potentially heading to the Big Apple and there may be some value here as a result. As for the Clippers, Durant might seek the limelight in Los Angeles but shy away from the shadow of James, choosing instead to be the center of the universe for a new franchise.
Full odds can be found below but, if you want to wager on Kevin Durant’s life choices, you can now do so off-shore.
Los Angeles Lakers 3/1
Golden State Warriors +350
New York Knicks 5/1
Los Angeles Clippers 9/1
Brooklyn Nets 10/1
Boston Celtics 12/1
Philadelphia 76ers 12/1
Miami Heat 12/1
Toronto Raptors 14/1
New Orleans Pelicans 16/1
Utah Jazz 16/1
Washington Wizards 16/1
Phoenix Suns 16/1
Oklahoma City Thunder 33/1
