Shoutout to the Colorado Avalanche who won the Stanley Cup last night in Tampa Bay 🏆. Cale Makar brought home the Conn Smythe Trophy, making history while doing so. The talk now officially switches to NBA Free Agency 👇

This Should Be Fun

While eight months of NBA basketball has drawn to a close and a familiar champion has risen back to the top, fans shouldn't worry about being bored for too long. The NBA offseason has become a circus in the player empowerment era, with unprecedented amounts of roster turnover and surprise free agency signings. Some teams look primed to enter or remain in title contention, while others appear to be fracturing at the seams 🍿

• The top team to keep an eye on is Brooklyn, where Kyrie Irving is clearly disgruntled and Kevin Durant seems unsure about his future

• With free agency kicking off this Thursday, June 30th, buckle up for what should be an exciting few weeks

If there's anything we've learned in recent years, no move is too improbable in the modern NBA. Let's dive in, starting with future odds for next season and then examining how quickly those could change 👇

Current 2023 NBA Title Odds (subject to change)

• Warriors: +550 (bet $100, win $550)

• Bucks: +600

• Celtics: +600

• Clippers: +650

• Nets: +900

Something's Brewing In Brooklyn

The Nets' situation is garnering the most attention in the league, as the front office has clearly grown frustrated with Kyrie's off-court antics, and is reportedly "outright unwilling" to offer him a long term max extension. It's unclear where Irving will land, as there are no contenders with anywhere near the cap space necessary to offer him a desired max deal 🤔

• The more likely scenario would be a trade, and the Lakers have emerged as the leader to land Kyrie if he departs

• A LeBron-Kyrie reunion would have ripple effects around the league, including Russell Westbrook potentially finding a new home

• It's unlikely that the Nets would look to acquire Westbrook in that trade, and a third team would probably need to be involved

Regardless of Brooklyn's potential return in a Kyrie trade, it's hard to see KD sticking around with both of his chosen co-stars gone. An Irving trade would likely result in a Durant trade, where many teams would clearly be seeking the services of one of the top scorers of all-time — let's look at some possible destinations 👇

• Miami is always in on the top stars in the league, and has been proposed as a team with the potential to swoop in and snag Durant

• Another Eastern Conference rival that could pursue KD is the squad that swept Durant's Nets out of the playoffs, but it would be costly for Boston

• Outside of the Nets, some oddsmakers like Phoenix to land Durant, as the Suns could potentially offer Deandre Ayton in a sign-and-trade 🏜

Other Storylines To Watch

Elsewhere around the league, some big free agents appear likely to remain with their franchises. While James Harden's first season in Philly failed to meet expectations, GM Daryl Morey has made it clear that the franchise intends to retain the star. Odds are Harden will opt in to his $47M player option (can you blame him?) and extend with the Sixers on a short-term deal 🤑

• Another star who appears be staying put is Zach LaVine, who is primed to sign a max extension with the Bulls

• Chicago will still be looking for upgrades following a disappointing playoff flame-out, and has identified Rudy Gobert as a potential target to shore up its defense 🔒

Another star center who may be on the move is Deandre Ayton. Suns' owner Robert Sarver is notoriously cheap, and refused to offer Ayton a max extension last offseason. The ripple effects of this drama was clear in the playoffs, as Ayton appeared flat-out disengaged in the Suns' embarrassing Game 7 defeat at the hands of Luka Doncic and the Mavs 😬

• Like we brought up earlier, Phoenix could push for the ultimate power move of a sign-and-trade for Kevin Durant if Brooklyn is willing to offer Ayton a max deal

• Detroit had also emerged as a potential suitor, and a young trio of Cade Cunningham, newly drafted Jaden Ivey and Ayton is admittedly intriguing. But the addition of Jalen Duren makes this questionable

For My Parlay Gurus

Given the disarray in Brooklyn and Kyrie's mercurial nature, I'm betting that he departs and does what seemed unthinkable until very recently...joining LeBron in LA. I'm pairing that bet with the relatively safer one of Harden remaining in Philly, as the front office appears motivated to get a deal done. Check it out 👇

• Kyrie Irving to the Lakers: +200

• James Harden to the Sixers: -125

$100 on this bet would win you $440 — we won't know if this bet hits for a little, but keep your eyes on these guys and email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100* if we're right 🤑

Want more betting content from Overtime? Check out Even The Odds on Twitter 🤑

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