The 2018 NBA Draft came and went Thursday night, injecting excitement in a rather dull NBA offseason so far. This year’s draft class is said to be one of the deepest in recent years, so there’s definitely plenty to make out it, including the odds of the teams to win the 2019 NBA title following the drafts. Below is the latest update to some of those teams’ odds this coming season, and you can view all Round 1 draft picks at the end of this article.
First Round Recap of the 2018 NBA Draft and How it Will Impact the Odds to Win the 2018-19 Season Championship
There are a lot of takeaways from last Thursday’s highly intriguing 2018 NBA Draft, which certainly changed the outlook for many NBA teams. But if there’s one thing that remains unchanged, it’s the fact that the Golden State Warriors are still the heavy favorites to win the title in 2019.
As of this writing, the Warriors hold odds of +125 to make it three in a row next June. The short odds are a testament to the public’s trust in Golden State, which the team fully deserves. They still have the core intact. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are still in the backcourt, while Kevin Durant is expected to sign a new deal with the team this summer. In the draft, the Warriors only had one pick, but they used it smartly, getting Jacob Evans from the University of Cincinnati as the No. 28 overall pick. The Warriors don’t need a lot to, considering the strength of their lineup, but Evans appear to be a cheaper, younger, and more versatile option for Golden State compared to Nick Young, who the defending champions will likely let walk away this summer into free agency.
We tell you all of that to say the Warriors are still the safest bet to win the title regardless of what the other teams did in the draft. Having said that, some squads definitely got themselves a shot in the arm. Take for example the Dallas Mavericks, who are arguably the biggest winners of the draft. Although the Mavs are priced +50,000 to win the title this year, they secured their future by getting Luka Doncic by trading their No. 5 pick (Trae Young) and a future top-five protected pick to Atlanta in exchange for the Slovenian phenom. With Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. in the backcourt, the Mavs have the building blocks to compete in the near future. If Dallas could get a big man in free agency like, say, DeMarcus Cousins, the future might come as soon as the 2018-19 campaign.
Still in the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns got the man many saw they would get from a mile away in the form of Deandre Ayton. A 7-foot-1 monster with the size and athleticism to pose trouble down low, the Suns may just have found their own Joel Embiid – minus the defense of the Philadelphia 76ers’ behemoth. That said, a lineup that features Ayton and Devin Booker should do better this coming season than in last year, when the Suns finished with a pathetic record of 21-61 record – the worst in the NBA. In addition to Ayton, the Suns also got Mikal Bridges via trade with the Sixers, who gave up Zhaire Smith in the transaction. The Suns are currently owners of +25,000 odds to win it all next season.
Over at the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics (+600) got lucky. Again. For some reason, despite not having a lottery pick like they usually had in the past years, the Celtics still got themselves a lottery-level talent in the form of Texas A&M Aggie Robert Williams. The Celtics took Williams off the board with the 27th pick. In Williams, Boston got a biggie who checks most of the boxes for a modern day big man, one who could run the floor, rebound and push the pace, and defend multiple positions.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, got their man in Collin Sexton out of the Alabama Crimson Tide program. The Cavs selected Sexton without giving much regard to what LeBron James will do this summer. Whether James stays or go, the need for a playmaker is always there for Cleveland, so getting Sexton is one way of addressing that issue for the defending Eastern Conference champions, who are +2,500 to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy next year.
NBA Draft picks 2018: Round 1
Pick/Team/Player
1. Suns — Deandre Ayton, C, Arizona
2. Kings — Marvin Bagley III, PF/C, Duke
3. Hawks — Luka Doncic, G, Slovenia (traded to Mavs)
4. Grizzlies — Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, Michigan State
5. Mavericks — Trae Young, PG, Oklahoma (traded to Hawks)
