Vegas had the Knicks becoming a powerhouse.
The New York Knicks were an absolute disaster this season as they finished with the worst record in the NBA. This has given them fairly decent odds to get the first overall pick in the draft, which would most likely land them Zion Williamson. As far as free agency is concerned, the Knicks seem to be sitting pretty as many people around the league believe Kevin Durant will end up signing there in the fseason. It is also believed that Kyrie Irving might want to join him. If the Knicks do, in fact, get injected with this much talent, they will quickly become one the favorites in the East.
SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas understands this better than anyone as they opened the Knicks at 16-1 betting odds to win the 2020 NBA Title. Only three teams in the East were given better odds: Milwaukee Bucks (9-2), Boston Celtics (7-1), and Philadelphia 76ers (10-1).
“Before Durant, the Warriors] were still the best team,” Jeff Sherman, vice president risk at the SuperBook explained to ESPN. “Even if Durant comes back, we’ll make an adjustment downwards, but they won’t be odds-on] favorites like we’ve seen in the past couple years. We’ll obviously bump them up if he leaves, but it’s kind a middle ground now dealing with this team.”
As Sherman explained, if Durant doesn’t come to the Knicks, their odds will be in the range 300-1. Clearly, Durant’s presence makes a huge difference on any team.