The Brooklyn Nets remained the consensus favorites to win the NBA title at sportsbooks Thursday afternoon, after trading James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for a package highlighted by Ben Simmons.
Caesars Sportsbook elected to keep the Nets at 4-1 after the trade, while moving the 76ers from 12-1 to 7-1. The Golden State Warriors are 9-2, followed by the Phoenix Suns (5-1) and Milwaukee Bucks at 7-1, along with the 76ers at Caesars.
Other oddsmakers, however, did make adjustments after the Harden-Simmons trade. The SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas moved the Nets from 6-1 to 10-1 on Thursday and attracted action on Brooklyn. The Nets odds eventually settled at 8-1 at the SuperBook, which last week took a $20,000 bet on the Nets at 9-2, according to Jeff Sherman, a vice president of risk, who oversees the NBA odds.
The SuperBook has the Suns and Warriors as co-favorites to win the title, but the majority of sportsbooks have the Nets on top of the odds. Brooklyn enters Tuesday's game against the Washington Wizards at 29-25 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Nets have lost nine in a row. In addition to Simmons, the Nets received Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two future first-round picks. Simmons has yet to play this season
