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Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship odds foreshadow a big offseason

By Jason Reed

Lakers coach Frank Vogel (R) speaks as General Manager Rob Pelinka looks on during the Los Angeles Lakers media day in El Segundo, California on September 27, 2019. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
Lakers coach Frank Vogel (R) speaks as General Manager Rob Pelinka looks on during the Los Angeles Lakers media day in El Segundo, California on September 27, 2019. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2020-21 season as the betting favorites to win the NBA Championship for the second season in a row. The Brooklyn Nets took the top spot after trading for James Harden but the Lakers were still the consensus favorites in the West.

Despite this, the Lakers could not get out of the first round as the injury bug attacked them with Anthony Davis missing time in the playoffs and LeBron James not being 100%. Despite the early exit, the Los Angeles Lakers still have great odds to win the NBA Championship next season.

According to WynnBET, the Lakers have the second-best NBA odds to win next year’s championship, only trailing the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers’ odds are +400 (4/1) while the Nets’ odds are +200 (2/1).

The defending NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks have +1200 (12/1) odds while the defending Western Conference Champion Phoenix Suns have +1500 (15/1) odds. The fact that the Lakers’ odds are so high could tell us something.

The odds might be predicting a big offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis and that is naturally going to make their odds some of the best in the league. However, the fact that their odds are only +400 and so close to the Brooklyn Nets, who have three superstars, could be telling us something.

Heck, the next-best team (the Golden State Warriors) have +1000 odds. The Lakers join the Nets as the only team with less than 10/1 odds to win the championship and that is saying something. In fact, the fact that the Warriors are so high is saying something as well.

The Warriors did not even make the playoffs last season but have the third-best odds. That is because Vegas is predicting a big offseason for Golden State with the return of Klay Thompson. The Lakers were eliminated in the first round and have the second-best odds. We can make a similar conclusion.

The oddsmakers are typically ahead of these things and are preparing for the frenzy of bets on the Lakers. There is so much speculation around the Lakers (including potentially landing both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan) this offseason and while they are limited in what they can do, this bodes well for their chances of improving the team from last year and returning to the NBA Finals.

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If you are going to bet on the Los Angeles Lakers now might be the time. The odds are only so low in preparation for a big move by the Lakers. Those odds (and the payout) will shrink even more after the offseason after the Lakers make their moves.

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