After news broke early Tuesday that the Los Angeles Clippers had acquired disgruntled superstar James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers for veteran role players and draft picks, L.A.'s championship odds tightened at most major mobile sportsbooks, with BetRivers cutting them from 23/1 to 12/1.
Accordingly, BetRivers essentially halved the Clippers' odds both to win the Western Conference (from 12/1 to +650) and to win the Pacific Division (6/1 to 3/1). PointsBet was more conservative, moving the Clippers from 18/1 to 14/1 to win the NBA title while lengthening Philly's championship odds from 20/1 to 28/1.
“I'm not sure how eager people will be to bet on the Clippers to win the title given the number of quality players that Harden has teamed up with in the past,” PointsBet trader Wyatt Satre wrote in an e-newsletter. “But if he does buy into the Clippers' system, you'll definitely see their odds lower even more given all that star power.”
“All that star power” includes a trio of thirtysomething former All-Stars in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook, the latter of whom played with Harden in both Oklahoma City and Houston. Leonard and George can opt out of their deals and become free agents this coming offseason, while Harden is currently playing on a one-year deal. It is, therefore, reasonable to believe that the Clippers' window to win a championship with their aging core could slam shut after this season.
The Clippers also received P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev in the deal and shipped out K.J. Martin, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, and Marcus Morris Sr. – in addition to two first-rounders, two second-rounders, and a first-round pick swap.
Addition by subtraction?
As Satre alluded to, Harden has teamed up with a ton of stars on squads with championship aspirations in the past and has yet to win a title. The reason for that is Harden has been a notorious postseason underachiever, making him a curious target for a franchise taking an all-or-nothing swing at its first victory parade.
That being said, Harden remains a capable scorer and elite passer who won't be asked to take big postseason shots while playing third banana to Leonard and George. But that pair has enjoyed a maddening injury history since coming to the Clippers, and Westbrook's on-court combustibility is in a league of its own.
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As for the Sixers, The Ringer was already singing the praises of new head coach Nick Nurse's up-tempo offense sans Harden in the hours before the trade, writing, “Harden was unwilling to cut or shoot off the catch. Doc Rivers had a rigid philosophy. But now the Sixers have a more imaginative head coach, and [Joel] Embiid has a more dynamic off-ball co-star (in Tyrese Maxey) than Harden.”
Batum, Covington, Martin, and Morris are solid role players who won't be expected to replicate Harden's regular-season productivity. Morey may succeed in packaging one or all of them with those draft picks to fetch another studly starter to pair with Embiid and Maxey, or the Sixers could wait until the offseason to use what they expect to be a considerable amount of cap room to lure a top-flight free agent.
Either way, now that the Beard has been shorn from the City of Brotherly Love, the franchise's focus will squarely be on preventing Embiid from feeling like he should flee as well.