Lakers' title odds improve dramatically after Luka Doncic trade - ESPN

The stunning trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks late Saturday night had swift, dramatic implications on the sports betting markets.

Before news of the deal broke, the Lakers were +4000 to win the 2025 NBA Finals and +2500 to win the Western Conference, according to ESPN BET odds. Immediately following the news, Los Angeles' odds shortened to +1800 to win the NBA title and sat at +1600 as of Sunday morning, the sixth-best odds in the league. The Lakers' conference title odds jumped to +900 before settling at +850.

ESPN BET reports that since midnight ET, the Lakers have received 46.6% of all bets and 65.2% of all handle to win this season's title. BetMGM places those numbers at 64% and 57%, respectively, and clarifies that there have been no «notable» big bets since the trade news broke. The book notes that Los Angeles is its largest liability for the Western Conference title.

The Lakers' season win total also bumped up from 45.5 to 48.5 at ESPN BET; they currently sit at fifth place in the Western Conference with 28 wins and 35 games to play.

Jeff Sherman, a longtime NBA oddsmaker at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, said on X that the «Lakers must have seen their recent stretch without AD and said fine, we'll take Luka.»

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Meanwhile, the Mavericks saw their odds to win the NBA Finals lengthen from +2500 to +4000 immediately following the trade, though they came back to +3300 by Sunday morning at ESPN BET. Dallas' Western Conference odds stretched