By Kenny Burgess
So far, the NBA offseason has not disappointed, and this week saw blockbuster trades with big names moving and promising young talent entering the league through the draft. We haven’t even hit free agency yet and so many stars have found new homes. Some teams have been very aggressive and it shows in the line movement. We’re going to break down the teams who have been a part of the biggest trades and see how much they’ve shortened their title odds.
Phoenix Suns
On Sunday, Jun. 18, the Phoenix Suns acquired All-Star guard Bradley Beal in a trade with the Washington Wizards. Phoenix agreed to send Chris Paul and Landry Shamet as well as at least four second-round picks and multiple pick swaps to Washington in order to acquire the three-time all-star. This trade was maybe the flashiest of the week as it formed the NBA’s newest big three in Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker.
Beal is a three-time All-Star and has averaged 22.1 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in his NBA career. While Phoenix has depleted a lot of its depth over the past year, it has added two all-stars to pair alongside Booker. Many executives and fans are skeptical if rolling with a “big three” is the way to win now. Many of the past champions were deep and had a roster with many solid players. The Suns feel as though all of this star power might put them over the top and the oddsmakers agree. Prior to the trade the Suns title odds were set at +900 and they have shifted all the way to +650. This gives Phoenix the fourth-best odds to win the title next year and we’ll see if this line movement is fair as the season progresses.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics might have made the most surprising trades of the week, not necessarily because they acquired Kristaps Porziņģis from the Wizards, but because of the fact they parted with long-time Celtic Marcus Smart. On Jun. 21, there was a three-team trade completed between the Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Washington Wizards. The Celtics sent Smart to Memphis, and Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and the 35th pick in the draft to Washington. The Celtics acquired Kristaps Porziņģis from the Wizards plus the 25th pick in the draft and the Golden State Warriors’ first-round pick in the following year’s draft. Additionally, the Grizzlies sent Tyus Jones to Washington in the deal.
The original deal didn’t have the Celtics parting ways with Smart and it was originally a three-team trade with the Clippers and Malcolm Brogdon as the centerpiece of the deal. The Clippers had injury concerns regarding Brogdon and it forced the Celtics to pivot. Boston still ended up with Porziņģis, but had to part ways with its longest-tenured player and the former defensive player of the year.
Porziņģis is coming off one of his best seasons ever — he set career highs in points per game (23.2), field goal percentage (49.8), and free throw attempts per game (6.4). Boston was looking to bolster its interior and accomplished just that by adding Porziņģis. This trade helped the Celtics alleviate a backcourt logjam and reallocated some of those resources to another position. Porziņģis will provide more size and rim protection without forcing the team to sacrifice much outside shooting.
The oddsmakers feel as though this was the right move for Boston as it now is the title favorite. With this move, the Celtics jumped the reigning champion, Denver Nuggets, and their title odds are now +460 (prior to the trade, their odds were +500).
Memphis Grizzlies
The aforementioned three-team trade also saw the Grizzlies acquire a great player and the oddsmakers like their chances at winning it all a bit more after this move. Prior to acquiring Smart, the Grizzlies’ title odds were +2500 and have moved now to +2300. The Grizzlies are starting the season behind the eight ball as their superstar point guard Ja Morant will be suspended for the first 25 games of the new season. This move should help Memphis weather the storm until he returns and gives his team a solid player in the backcourt. Smart has been a really good player in Boston for a while now, but the sky might be the limit for him in Memphis; he is going to get a larger role and will have the ball in his hand more often.
Smart is a gritty three-and-D player who also can play the point guard position, which he will be asked to do in Morant’s absence. Smart also gives the Grizzlies a player with a lot of playoff experience/success as he averaged 15.5 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG, and 2.33 PG (on 35.8 3P%) in 35.3 MPG over his past three postseasons (46 games). We’ll see if that postseason experience will help the Grizzlies take the next step next season and if he can help hold the fort down while Morant is gone.
Golden State Warriors
On Jun. 22, the Warriors went through with a shocking trade. Just days after Warriors GM Bob Myers said Jordan Poole wouldn’t be getting traded, he sent him to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul.
Paul now joins the Warriors who are looking to add a championship to his Hall of Fame resume. After being traded to Washington earlier in the week, Paul has landed in San Francisco and the Warriors said they have no plans of buying Paul out of his contract. This means Paul will get the chance to team up with Steph Curry and the Warriors to try and bring home a championship. Paul will either be placed into the starting lineup or will be the sixth man, but either way, there are some questions regarding his fit on the team. Paul is a traditional point guard who likes to have the ball in his hands and like Poole, he isn’t a great defensive player. Regardless, the oddsmakers like this version of the Warriors better as their odds of bringing home a fifth title shrunk from +1300 to +1200. This is a risky move, but there seemed to be some off-the-court tension with Poole and his game didn’t necessarily fit with head coach Steve Kerr’s vision.
This NBA offseason has just begun and so many impact moves have already happened. This has already resulted in title odds changing drastically and there’s no telling what moves could be next. Whether it be by free agency or a blockbuster trade I’m sure we haven’t seen the last marquee name change teams. This should lead to more line movement and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date here at Only Players.
Photo credit: Chris Paul’s Instagram
