The Los Angeles Lakers finally have a new center after agreeing to a two-year deal with free agent and former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, and oddsmakers have bumped up their odds to win next year’s NBA championship as a result.
The Lakers moved from 16-1 to 14-1 to win the 2025-26 NBA championship at BetMGM, the seventh-best odds of any team and the fourth-best odds for any Western Conference team behind favorite Oklahoma City (+275), Denver (+700) and Houston (+800).
“They filled an obvious need with a previously unexpected option,” Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook told Yahoo Sports via text. “We went from 16-1 to 14-1 for perception purposes. We already have — and will continue to have — Lakers liability.”
The Lakers made the playoffs as the third seed in the West last season after trading for Luka Dončić in the middle of the season, but lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round in five games.
As of Tuesday morning, the Lakers were the second-biggest title liability at BetMGM behind the Dallas Mavericks.
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