Suns jump to second in NBA championship odds after trading for Kevin Durant

The Phoenix Suns have emerged as the new favorites to win the Western Conference after trading for Kevin Durant in a blockbuster deal, per BetMGM. Here’s what you need to know:

• Phoenix trails only the Boston Celtics when it comes to the best odds of winning the 2023 NBA Finals. The Celtics sit at +350.
• The Suns’ odds to win the Finals jumped from +1800 to +450 after acquiring Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.
• The Nets’ championship odds have plummeted twice this week after trading superstars Kyrie Irving on Sunday and Durant early Thursday morning. Brooklyn went from +700 to +2200 after dealing Irving away and moved to +10000 after shipping out Durant.

Top 10 NBA championship odds:

Other teams’ odds impacted by major trade news

The Dallas Mavericks’ title odds improved from +2500 to +1600 after bringing in Irving as a true second star next to Luka Dončić.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers are finalizing a deal to acquire D’Angelo Russell in a three-team deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz, The Athletic reported Wednesday. The deal sends Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to the Lakers, while Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a first-round pick go to Utah, according to league sources. Minnesota reportedly will receive Mike Conley Jr., Nickeil Alexander-Walker and a second-round pick compensation.

Following news of the three-team trade, the Lakers saw their championship odds rise from +5000 to +2800.

Suns have clear path to NBA Finals

The Suns moving to the favorite in the Western Conference after trading for Durant is not surprising and only happened because the conference is wide open. There were no clear favorites before the trade. The Golden State Warriors are hovering around .500 and the Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers aren’t faring much better.

The top three teams in the standings (Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings) have never won a conference title. Combine that with the obvious star power Phoenix now has, and the Suns have a clear path to the NBA Finals, at least on paper. — Santaromita

Are the Nuggets undervalued?

Phoenix was arguably a good value before the trade as a team two years removed from an NBA Finals appearance and one year removed from having the best regular-season record in the league. The Suns have dealt with key injuries all season and have won nine of their last 11 games.

Now, perhaps Denver (+350 to make the Finals) is being undervalued. The Nuggets have an elite player in Nikola Jokic and are 4 1/2 games up on Memphis for the best record in the conference. — Santaromita