Sports

NBA: Nets’ title odds plummet in wake of Kyrie Irving trade demand


Kyrie Irving Brooklyn Nets NBA

Kyrie Irving #11 and Nic Claxton #33 of the Brooklyn Nets are five benches high during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on January 30, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets won 121-104. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP

The Brooklyn Nets appear to have turned their season around as they won 12 games in a row in December and early January. The all-star Nets took fourth place in the Eastern Conference, losing only 5 1/2 games in Going into the game for the first time on Friday.

But now, Kyrie Irving has decided he wants to leave, reportedly asking for a trade on Friday ahead of next Thursday’s tournament deadline.

Predictably, the stunning turn in the tragic drama Brooklyn has reverberated to Las Vegas, where the team’s title odds have stretched into more than a sportsbook.

The Nets were given +700 to win the NBA championship at BetMGM on Friday morning. By evening, they had plummeted to +1400.

It’s a similar story at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Nets were at +700 to win the championship at the start of the season and +550 on January 5, right after that 12-game winning streak. But the odds there also increased to +1400 after Irving’s trade request.

The Los Angeles Lakers are tipped to explore a deal for Irving, and the shrewd opinion defender in turn is interested in reuniting with former Cleveland teammate LeBron James.

The Lakers are in a much worse position to win the title than the Nets; Los Angeles entered Friday in 12th place in the Western Conference with a score of 25-28. However, their NBA championship win rate jumped from +4000 at 10 a.m. Friday to +3000 after the Irving reports broke.

This season alone has been a rough one for Irving, who still scores 27.1 points per game with 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 40 games despite off-field problems.

Irving was suspended by the Nets on November 3 after his social media posts promoting an anti-Semitic-themed movie. He sat out eight games and apologized before returning, saying, “I’m not anti-Semitic or any of that.”

The incident caused Nike to end an eight-year partnership with Irving, who turns 31 next month.

For the 2021-22 season, Irving didn’t make his debut until January 5 after declining a COVID-19 shot. Even after returning, he was unable to play games at home because of COVID-19 protocols in New York City. He didn’t make his season debut at home until the end of March.

In total, Irving played just 29 games between 2021-22, averaging 27.4 points with 5.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds. Irving’s lack of availability is said to have led to a rift with former teammate James Harden, who was transferred to the Philadelphia 76ers a year ago.

In 12 NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2011-17), Celtics (2017-19) and Nets, Irving averaged 23.3 points with 5.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds. He won his only NBA title in 2016 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, playing alongside James.

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