NBA Finals 2018 Odds: Houston Rockets Are Contenders After Chris Paul Trade, Warriors Still Favored

Chris Paul Stephen Curry — Chris Paul, pictured shooting over Stephen Curry at ORACLE Arena on March 23, 2016 in Oakland, California, gives the Houston Rockets a better chance to challenge the Golden State Warriors and win the 2018 NBA Finals. The defending champs are still heavy favorites. Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors are still the odds-on favorites to win the 2018 NBA Finals, but they’ll have some more competition after some recent trades. The Houston Rockets have seen their championship betting odds increase significantly after acquiring Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers, becoming one of the few teams that aren't a major long shot to win the title.

After pairing one of the league’s best point guards with MVP runner-up James Harden, the Rockets saw their championship odds jump from 30-1 to 15-1. They now join the Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics as the only teams that have better than 40-1 title odds at the Las Vegas Westgate SuperBook.

READ: Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan Could Be Gone From Clippers After Chris Paul Trade

L.A. had 40-1 odds before making the trade, but they are no longer considered to have any kind of championship hopes. The Clippers now have 100-1 odds, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them lose both Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan this offseason.

Houston still isn’t considered to be the biggest threat to Golden State in the Western Conference. San Antonio still holds that honor with 12-1 odds, having posted the NBA’s second-best record in back-to-back years. The Spurs beat the Rockets in six games in their second-round playoff matchup, clinching the series with a Game 6 victory in Houston without the injured Kawhi Leonard.

The Minnesota Timberwolves haven’t made the postseason since 2004, but they now have the fourth-best odds to win the NBA Finals in the West. After sending Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and this year’s No.7 overall draft pick to the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler and the No.16 pick, Minnesota has 60-1 odds. Butler is considered by many to be a top-10 player in the NBA, and he gives Minnesota one of the best young cores in the league with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The East is still the Cavaliers’ conference. Cleveland has 3-1 title odds, and LeBron James is an overwhelming favorite to reach the NBA Finals for an eighth straight year.

Boston is far and away Cleveland’s biggest threat in the conference with 15-1 odds, and the eventual Eastern Conference champion might be determined by the Paul George Sweepstakes. The Cavs have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to trade for George. The Celtics have what it takes to get a deal done, and they could begin free agency by acquiring both George and Gordon Hayward.

Here are the complete betting odds for the 2018 NBA Finals, via ESPN:

Golden State Warriors -220

Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1

San Antonio Spurs 12-1

Boston Celtics 15-1

Houston Rockets 15-1

Washington Wizards 40-1

Milwaukee Bucks 60-1

Minnesota Timberwolves 60-1

Oklahoma City Thunder 80-1

Toronto Raptors 80-1

New Orleans Pelicans 80-1