Early Betting Odds Favor the Lakers to Win Again in 2021

The Los Angeles Lakers have just won their first NBA championship in 10 years and the 17th overall in franchise history. Yet even before LeBron and company popped the corks at Disney World, the sportsbooks already installed them as odds on favorite to win next season.

According to the online betting site BetOnline, the Lake Show is a -400 favorite to win the NBA’s 2021 title. The Lakers closed out the 2020 NBA Finals on Sunday, dominating the Miami Heat from start to finish to win Game 6 106-93 for a 4-2 series win.

LeBron James, who was named Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career and for a third different NBA team, is under contract and will be back to lead the team this season. All-star big man Anthony Davis has a player option for the 2021 season but he isn’t expected to go anywhere after the Purple and Gold won it all this season.

Like Davis, Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Rajon Rondo have player options and could leave the team for greener pastures. The likes of Jared Dudley, JR Smith, Dwight Howard, Dion Waiters, and Markeiff Morris are free agents but if any or all of them leave, the Lakers will surely attract similar veterans looking to win their first chip.

Still High on the Clippers

Interestingly, the oddsmakers are still high on the Clippers. BetOnline has the Lakers’ cross-town rivals as second in the NBA 2021 championship odds board at +600 despite their disappointing performance in the 2020 playoffs.

The Clippers were the odds on favorite to win the title this year after trading for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. However, the team struggled during the regular season before finishing 2nd in the West behind a strong finishing kick. However, the Clippers were upset in the second round by the Denver Nuggets who came from 1-3 down to win the series.

Steve Ballmer’s team will have a new head coach next season after Doc Rivers called it quits after their playoff debacle.

The team is still undecided on who to give the keys to the car with the likes of Mike Brown and Tyronn Lue regarded as the favorites to replace Rivers. With Kawhi and PG13 coming back, plus a supporting cast that is more talented than most teams in the league, the Clippers are still one of the best teams in the league.

Bounce Back Season

The Golden State Warriors are third in the current odds board at +700. The Dubs missed the playoffs this season after losing Kevin Durant to the Nets and the Splash Brothers to injury.

The Warriors though are expected to have a bounce-back year with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson back in action together with Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. The Dubs also own the second pick of this year’s draft They can either use the pick to draft a quality big man or they can trade it to add veteran support.

Back to back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are fourth in the list at +1000. Milwaukee had the best regular season record in the NBA during the last two seasons but they have failed to move past the conference finals during the last two postseasons.

Celtics, Nets, and Heat

Next on the odds board are the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Miami Heat. The Celtics made the Conference Finals again but lost to the Miami Heat in six games. Jayson Tatum emerged as an All-Star this season while Jaylen Brown could be looking at his first All-Star appearance next season. Marcus Smart is coming off a fantastic postseason while Gordon Hayward could return by exercising his player option.

The Nets made the playoffs this year despite playing without their injured superstars. But with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving set to return and play together next season, Brooklyn is expected to make noise, not just in the East but in the championship picture. The Nets have a new coach next season in the person of former two-time MVP Steve Nash.

The 2020 NBA Finalists Miami Heat are ranked along with the Celtics and Nets at +1200.

Miami made it all the way to the championship series despite being just the 5th seed in the East. With the way Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Goran Dragic, and Bam Adebayo played during the postseason, the Heat may have the best betting value among the early favorites.