Los Angeles Lakers Have Best NBA Odds Without Kawhi Leonard, Adding Star Makes LA Odds-On Favorite

The 2020 NBA Finals odds will see a significant change once Kawhi Leonard makes his decision in free agency. Until that happens, the Los Angeles Lakers are the heavy favorites to win next year’s title.

With almost all of the top players having picked a destination for the upcoming season, the Lakers lead the way with 7/4 championship odds at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. The Milwaukee Bucks are second in the league with 13/2 odds. The Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors are all tied with 10/1 odds.

The Lakers, Clippers and Raptors will all see their odds move in the near future. They are the three contenders hoping to sign Leonard.

If Leonard joins LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Lakers, the team will reportedly become the odds-on favorite to win the 2020 NBA Finals. Golden State was an odds-on favorite to start each of the last few years with Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all on the roster.

Durant and Kyrie Irving agreed to sign with the Brooklyn Nets Sunday.

Even without Leonard, the Lakers will still be among the teams given the best chance to win the title. James and Davis give Los Angeles two of the league’s 10 best players. The Lakers would have $32 million under the salary cap to spend, though most of their top targets have already signed elsewhere.

The Clippers and Raptors won’t be considered legitimate contenders if they can’t sign Leonard. Failing to sign Leonard would mean being surpassed by a good portion of the league, perhaps dropping them past the Indiana Pacers and their 40/1 odds, at the very least.

When Toronto traded for Leonard in July 2018, their championship odds went from 60/1 to 20/1. The San Antonio Spurs saw their title odds drop from 80/1 to 200/1 when they swapped Leonard for DeMar DeRozan.