It’s been a little while since Kyrie Irving was in the news for basketball reasons and oh boy did he fix that in a big way on Friday.
Less than a week before the NBA trade deadline, Irving threw himself onto the market by demanding out of Brooklyn. The most recent plot twist comes as Irving tried, and seemingly failed, to negotiate an extension with the Nets and pretty much brings an end to New York City’s latest attempt to secure a title via Super Team.
While that’s good news for pretty much every team in the Eastern Conference, there’s one group in particular who should be celebrating a bit harder right now: Cleveland Cavaliers bettors.
As of January 31, the Cavs were the biggest liability to win the East at BetMGM and their odds to do so are only getting better after Irving’s request.
Updated odds to win NBA Eastern Conference at @BetMGM
Celtics +180
Bucks +280
Nets +450
76ers +600
Cavaliers +900
All other teams +2000 or longer odds• Highest Ticket%: Cavaliers 19.4%
• Highest Handle%: Cavaliers 23.1%
• Biggest Liability: Cavaliers— John Ewing 🦁 (@johnewing) January 31, 2023
Odds to win NBA Championship at @BetMGM
Before Kyrie trade request:
Nets +700
Lakers +4000After:
Nets +1400
Lakers +3000— John Ewing 🦁 (@johnewing) February 3, 2023
That the Cavs were a popular pick to win the East after trading for Donovan Mitchell isn’t surprising. But the Nets potentially losing one of their more dominant stars at this point in the year changes the equation quite a bit.
Not only does it weaken a supposed powerhouse team in the East, it might just help Cleveland secure homecourt advantage in the postseason.
Entering Friday the Cavs were a half-game back of the Nets for the No. 4 seed in the East. The latest turmoil in Brooklyn is the perfect opportunity for Cleveland to overtake the Nets in the standings.
The Cavs already have the easiest schedule remaining in the NBA, per Tankathon, while Brooklyn has the sixth-toughest slate left. A downgrade from Irving in the lineup will certainly make things harder.
Now Cleveland just has to find a way past the Celtics, Sixers and Bucks to cash those tickets.
