(Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
The Sacramento Kings aren’t settling for just making the playoffs; they want to win the whole thing.
It’s been quite a while since the Kings were a championship-caliber team, but they’re making moves in that direction.
They just completed a sign-and-trade to lure DeMar DeRozan back to his home state.
And while they’re still a bit of a long shot to win the Western Conference, the move didn’t go unnoticed by oddsmakers.
As shown by ESPN Bet on Twitter, the Kings’ odds to win the West are now +3300, up from +4000.
The Kings now have +3300 odds to win the West, up from +4000 prior to the deal pic.twitter.com/f0ZQhs52rV
— ESPN BET (@ESPNBet) July 7, 2024
As of now, the Denver Nuggets (+380) are the odds-on favorites to make it to the NBA Finals out of the Western Conference, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers, and — now — Sacramento Kings.
The Kings failed to make the playoffs last season, as they suffered a string of injuries late in the campaign.
But with DeRozan there and Malik Monk back to full strength, they should have a legitimate chance to get back to the postseason.
Now, whether that will translate into actually pursuing an NBA championship remains to be seen.
The West is as stacked as it’s ever been, and even if they’re able to overcome all the doubts and questions about their spacing and lack of shooting, they’ll face some tough competition from the very start of the season.
The post Kings Had Notable Betting Odds Shift After Signing DeMar DeRozan appeared first on The Cold Wire.