Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a Brooklyn Nets star player has requested a trade from the team. The ritual dates back to the 2021-22 season when James Harden was the first to ask out. Of course, Kevin Durant’s request to depart the Big Apple came out of left field this past off-season. And although the noise quieted in Brooklyn for a bit, we’ve got another mess in New York.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Friday afternoon that Brooklyn Nets 2023 All-Star starter Kyrie Irving has requested to be traded before the upcoming February 9 trade deadline. As social media went crazy with the news, sportsbooks were quick to adjust their boards.
Before Irving’s trade request, the Nets held +700 championship odds at BetMGM. Now, those odds are at +1400.
NBA championship odds:
Before Kyrie trade request:
– Nets +700
– Lakers +4000After Kyrie trade request:
– Nets +1400
– Lakers +3000 pic.twitter.com/np2yjU8VTx— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) February 3, 2023
The line movement is interesting considering the impact of a mere request. Irving is still on the roster and hasn’t been traded. We don’t even know if Brooklyn is willing to fulfill the request.
It’s not a coincidence that as the Nets’ odds grew longer, the Lakers’ shortened from +4000 to +3000. The two sides have been linked since this past summer when they appeared to have a mutual interest in dealing with one another once contract extension talks broke off with Irving and Brooklyn. Today, we’re in a similar boat.
But if we know anything about the Brooklyn Nets’ front office, a trade won’t simply be made because it was requested. Notably, Kevin Durant is still a member of the Nets despite his desire to be elsewhere not too long ago.
So as a bettor, how do you react? It could be a great time to buy the Nets’ dip. If Irving doesn’t get traded, and Kevin Durant returns soon from a knee injury, Brooklyn has already proven it can play with anyone in the East. But do you take that chance?
Or, is now the time to get in on those incredibly long but shrinking Lakers title odds? They’re currently in 12th place but are only three games behind the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference standings.
Choose wisely.
