Kevin Durant announced last week that he was leaving Oklahoma City to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. The announcement came as something of a surprise, with many analysts expecting him to stay in OKC and extend his contract thereafter to an MVP-winning season. That did not happen, and the move has caused massive odds shifts across the NBA futures market, both in terms of his likelihood of leaving Brooklyn and where Kevin Durant will end up if he does leave.
What Are Future Betting Odds?
Futures betting is typically available only with regard to sporting events or elections. In this case, the market will take bets on whether or not a specific player will stay with their current team for the next season. For example, if you believe that Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant will leave for another team in 2020, then you could bet on yes at -150 odds. Conversely, if you think that he’ll stay put, then you might want to make a +150 bet.
How To Read Sports Betting Odds
Sports betting odds are a popular way to gamble on sports, which is why we’ve created this guide. Sports betting is made up of two different types of bets: straight bets and parlays. A straight bet is simply the act of predicting the outcome of a single game, while a parlay involves more games than just one but offers better odds in order to balance out risk and reward.
Odds are expressed as ratios (e.g., 2/5), where the first number is the amount you have to bet in order to win $100, and the second number represents how often you would need to correctly predict outcomes for that ratio to be profitable over time.
What are Basketball’s Current Futures?
Basketball futures are a type of wager that predicts the outcome of an event in the future. The odds represent how much you can win if you bet on a certain team. The higher the odds, the more money you will win if your bet is successful. One way to try and predict outcomes is to look at past performance, but it’s important to remember that teams don’t always perform up to their standards over time.
A Quick History of the Team with Kevin Durant
The Nets began in 1967 as a part of the American Basketball Association, winning two ABA Championships. The team moved to New Jersey in 1977 and was renamed the New Jersey Nets, with their first National Basketball Association season being 1978-79. They relocated again in 2012 and became the Brooklyn Nets.
The franchise made NBA history by having four different head coaches take over in just one season (Pete Carril, John Calipari, Jay Wright, and Larry Brown). In 2013 they drafted future All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell out of Ohio State University with the second overall pick.
Where Are the Nets Headed?
While there is no doubt that the Nets are disappointed in their season, it seems as though they have a plan in place. After the 2018-2019 season, they will be free agents and can choose to go wherever they want. However, with news coming out that Kevin Durant intends to stay with the Nets for next season, the odds shifted drastically. The Nets began at 50/1 at Bet Online and now are at 33/1. This would indicate that people are betting on where the Nets will go next year and betting heavily on them not leaving.
The Reason Behind This Move
Kevin Durant is one of the most talented players in the NBA, and his decision to sign with Brooklyn last summer had a huge impact on their championship odds. The Nets were as high as +1000 to win the NBA title at one point last summer. Now that Kevin Durant has committed for four more years, these odds will shift significantly.
The Nets are now at +2000 to win it all next season which is still a great bet considering they have one of the best young cores in the league. If you believe that Kevin Durant will be staying with Brooklyn for four more years then this is a great opportunity to get some value out of your money
Assessing Next Year’s Potential Title Win
The Golden State Warriors are the defending champions, and there is no doubt that they are still a formidable team. With that said, it’s hard to imagine them winning three-straight championships. While the Dubs might not be the most likely team to repeat, they’re certainly in the conversation.
The Boston Celtics will be an interesting squad next year with their young talent and potential trades. If they can get Gordon Hayward or Paul George (or both), then they could very well contend for a championship as well. Of course, injuries have derailed this Celtics team before, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens in free agency before assuming anything about their chances next year.
Why Does This Matter For Kevin Durant?
If you are a fan of the Brooklyn Nets, this is excellent news. The odds that Durant will stay in Brooklyn have gone from 4/1 to 1/2, which means that Kevin Durant has been deemed more likely to remain in the borough than not. If you placed a bet when these odds were at 4/1 and it still stands, now would be your chance to cash in.
Additionally, betting on them will give you that peace of mind if you are looking to get behind the newest NBA team on the block but want some assurance that they will do well this season. Now with these odds shifting in their favor, they are looking like a much better bet than they were before.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect for those rooting for Kevin Durant too!