NBA Betting: Kevin Durant Will Stay in Brooklyn, Causing Massive Odds Shift

Two years ago, when Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City to join the Golden State Warriors, the entire sports world was shocked by his decision to leave one of the best teams in NBA history for the two-time defending champs. But when Durant decided last week to stay in Brooklyn instead of signing with the New Orleans Pelicans, sports bettors everywhere were shocked by his decision as well, because they won big on it. On Tuesday morning, there are no odds on where Durant will play next season because he’s staying in Brooklyn.

The lines are moving on where Kevin Durant will play next season

The odds that Kevin Durant will play for the Nets next season have dropped from -155 to +165. The Warriors are still the favorites to win the NBA Finals at -150, but now they’re just slightly less than half as likely to win it all. The results of all that tanking for a superstar are paying off for Nets fans. And on top of having a decent shot at getting LeBron or Kawhi next offseason, they’re also no longer a longshot to sign Kevin Durant.

In fact, it’s now more likely than not that he will suit up in Brooklyn next year. The data below is from Bovada, which provides actual odds from bookmakers around Las Vegas and offshore. As you can see by each line highlighted here with an orange border, there has been a massive shift over just 24 hours in betting lines for where KD will play next season.

How much have the lines changed?

The latest NBA betting news is that the lines have shifted dramatically on whether or not Golden State Warriors star player Kevin Durant will stay with the team and re-sign. This is a major change because he had been rumored to be unhappy with the team’s management and head coach Steve Kerr.

The Warriors are now favorites to retain him at 1/1 odds (meaning they win $100 if they do), while other teams like the Phoenix Suns (+700) and New York Knicks (+1600) are now more likely to land him than before. The Philadelphia 76ers (-250) are still favored at this time to get him even though it may seem unlikely.

If you want to put money on him staying with Golden State, you may be able to find better odds at some sportsbooks. Currently, Bovada has them at -140 while others have them as high as -160. It’s been a dramatic shift and one that could mean big changes for betting lines going forward. You can check out our sports betting guide for more details or head over to SBR’s forums for free betting tips.

What can you learn from this?

Kevin Durant will stay in Brooklyn. It’s a fact that has caused some major shifts in NBA betting lines. Here are some of the things you can learn from this event.

• The Nets have improved their odds of making the playoffs by 12%. Now at +800, they’re behind only the Celtics and Raptors.
• The Knicks’ odds dropped from +500 to +600 after news broke on Tuesday night that Kevin Durant would be staying with the Nets for two more years.
• Kevin Durant’s decision could also affect how likely he is to re-sign with the Nets when his contract expires after two years if he likes what he sees during his time there.
• The Spurs’ odds of winning it all have increased from +2000 to +1500 since news broke about Kevin Durant’s decision.
• However, San Antonio is still considered by a long shot to win it all bookmakers. Their updated playoff odds are second only to those of Oklahoma City.
• The Warriors’ odds actually decreased from +350 to +300 after news of Durant’s decision broke.
• The Thunder also took a hit and their odds went from +550 to +600 as they are not expected to be as competitive with KD heading East.