Kevin Durant’s right achilles injury has changed everything, both in the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors as well as the Anthony Davis trade talks, the upcoming NBA draft and the start of free agency at the end of the month.
And while the chatter this morning seems to indicate Durant will still likely get a max deal, the bottom line is that things have changed little bit. One only need to look to the bookmakers to see.
According to the folks at Bovada, the New York Knicks remain the favorite to have Durant on their roster at the start of next season but they’re not as strong of a favorite as they once were. Meanwhile, the Lakers have seen their odds worsen from +650 to +750 after the injury, according to a Bovada spokesperson.
The Warriors chances of keeping Durant have improved significantly, while the Brooklyn Nets made a large jump in the updated odds with their odds improving from +1300 to +700.
The Lakers created enough cap flexibility last September when they waived Luol Deng with the stretch provision to give Durant his full max contract, starting next season at $38.1 million. But as far as the odds go, the injury has hurt their already slim chances of pairing him with LeBron James.
