Lakers' 2023 NBA Finals odds after D'Angelo Russell trade

Los Angeles made a massive trade Wednesday evening ahead of the 2023 deadline, trading the embattled Russell Westbrook and a top-four protected 2027 first-round pick for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.

After missing out on Kyrie Irving, the Lakers needed to make a big move to keep LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ chances at another title this year alive. Sportsbooks are starting to believe they may have a shot to make it happen.

The Lakers opened the day on BetMGM at +5000 to win the NBA Finals. Since the trade, their odds have nearly halved to +2800, the 13th-best odds in the NBA – just ahead of fringe contenders in the New Orleans Pelicans, who sit at +3000 to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

The move provides the Lakers with much-needed shooting and depth as the team tries to climb back into the playoff picture. Russell, a former All-Star who will likely slot in as the team’s starting point guard, is averaging 17.9 points and 6.2 assists on 39.1 percent shooting from the 3-point line this season.

Russell is the headliner, but the other two pieces are expected to be big contributors. Beasley, a 6’4” guard, has long been one of the best high-volume shooters in the NBA. This year, he’s shooting 35.9 percent from deep on 8.6 attempts per game, which is eighth-most in the NBA among qualifying players.

Vanderbilt will pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis to create one of the deepest frontcourts in the Western Conference. He is a solid rebounder and defender who is also a decent shooter and passer for a big man.

A big part of the trade might be addition by subtraction via getting rid of Westbrook, who was a questionable fit with James from Day 1 and recently had a “heated” halftime exchange with head coach Darvin Ham in the locker room during the team’s loss to the Thunder on Tuesday night, in which LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.

The Lakers still have the pieces to make another move, too. General manager Rob Pelinka still holds the team’s 2029 first-round pick, which could bring in another solid role player if he’s willing to part ways with the chip.

As with every trade, there will be questions as to how the new pieces mix with James, Davis, and Co. But there’s another glaring reason why the Lakers’ title odds haven’t moved even lower: they aren’t even currently in the playoff picture, and time is running out.

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Entering Thursday, the Lakers (25-30) were in third-to-last place in the Western Conference, two games behind the Trail Blazers (27-28) for the final play-in spot.

They need to finish in the top 10 in the West to make the play-in, and even then, there’s no guarantee that they’ll make it out of the tournament. To get into the top six, LA will need to pass seven teams above them and catch the Dallas Mavericks, who are currently four games ahead in the standings. But without a clear favorite in the West, it’s as good of a year as any to go all-in – even if your team is struggling to stay near .500.

We have seen before what James and Davis can do at full strength with a collection of solid role players. If LA can pull off the leapfrog over the last one-third of the regular season, the Lakers are about as dangerous as any team in the West.