When the NBA lifted its trade freeze on Monday, three trades caused significant movement in the NBA futures market.
On Monday, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired guard Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for guards Eric Bledsoe and George Hill, three first-round picks and picks swaps. Holiday, 30, averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds for the Pelicans and is an excellent defender.
The Bucks then acquired Bogdan Bogdanovic and Justin James from the Sacramento Kings for a package of Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova. The versatile Bogdanovic, 28, averaged 15.1 points, 3.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 29 minutes per game for Sacramento last year. He also averaged nine 3-point attempts per 36 minutes last year, shooting 37.2% from deep.
These deals are specifically to make reigning back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo believe Milwaukee can not only win the Eastern Conference, but also ultimately win a championship.
How did these deals impact championship odds in Milwaukee, New Orleans and Sacramento?
They didn’t. Before the trade freeze lifted, the Bucks were running +600 to win the NBA championship. One day and two significant trades later, they’re still at +600.
The Pelicans odds also stayed flat at +5000.
Sacramento’s odds dipped from +15000 to +25000, now tied for the worst in the NBA.
However, those odds staying flat actually shows a relative improvement in a market that saw major movement for other teams.
On Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded veteran point guard Chris Paul and forward Abdel Nader to the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a protected 2022 first-round pick. Paul, 35, averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 70 games for the Thunder last season.
Like Milwaukee’s deals, Phoenix is catering to its superstar leader. Paul will join Devin Booker in the Suns backcourt and provide veteran leadership to a young roster.
How did this deal impact the championship odds of the Suns and Thunder?
Phoenix saw its odds improve from +10000 to +4000.
Oklahoma City’s odds plummeted from +8000 to +20000 after the trade.
