Warriors Championship Odds Fade to +2700 After Klay Thompson Reportedly Suffers Achilles Injury

• Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson suffered a torn achilles during an offseason workout
• The severity of Thompson’s injury is unknown at this stage, but it has already lengthened the Warriors’ title odds
• Are the Warriors a worthwhile bet to win it all at a longer price?

The Golden State Warriors were set to have everyone healthy for the 2020-21 season after missing their stars in 2019-20. Klay Thompson’s potentially serious leg injury has already seen the Warriors’ NBA championship odds slide. Golden State drafted James Wiseman in Wednesday’s NBA Draft, but Thompson’s injury overshadowed draft night for the NBA’s most recent dynasty.

Soon after news of Thompson’s injury broke, the Warriors moved to +1200, having been +900. That price has continued to worsen overnight with FanDuel pricing the Warriors out at +2700 to win the title – that’s a longer price than the Sixers, Mavericks and Raptors.

The table below has the latest NBA title odds with the Lakers, Bucks and Nets leading the way.

2021 NBA Championship Odds

Odds taken from FanDuel on November 19.

What We Know

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed everyone’s worst fears, as it is a season-ending achilles tear for the All-Star guard.

Shams Charania was the first to break the news. He referred to it as a ‘lower leg’ injury, adding that Thompson was unable to place weight on the leg when he left the gym. Charania also reported that the fear is it is a heel injury. This set people speculating about an Achilles tendon problem, which the Warriors have painful recent memories of after Kevin Durant tore his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals.

Praying a lot @KlayThompson is cool!! Like it’s super minor. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 18, 2020

Speaking on ESPN later in the evening, Wojnarowski said ‘there’s still some optimism that Klay Thompson may not miss the entire season’. While that’s good news for Warriors fans, the fact that is the optimistic point of view shows how bleak the outlook could be for Thompson, who hasn’t played an NBA game since injuring his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

Wiseman’s Impact

Thompson leaves a gaping hole on this Warriors team. Steph Curry has to carry a greater scoring burden, as does Andrew Wiggins.

Wiseman, who looked set to join the team as a role player initially, will have more responsibility. His arrival helps Steve Kerr out – it gives him a pick-and-roll partner for Curry, a player who can throw down lobs and give them an interior defensive presence to allow Draymond Green to try and compensate for the loss of Thompson on the perimeter.

Bob Myers on Klay Thompson's injury altering roster plans: "We needed wing depth anyway." Said they'll address that in coming days.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 19, 2020

The Warriors will have to play differently without Thompson. Defenses will not get quite as stretched without him, but Curry can still pull opponents apart with his off-ball movement. Wiseman gives them a threat at the rim that they haven’t always had in recent seasons and adding his size should give them a boost at the defensive end.

Still with Minnesota’s 2021 pick and that $17 million trade exception, the Warriors have more moves to make. They aren’t getting a player of Thompson’s caliber, but there are improvements to this roster to come. If Thompson’s injury is less severe than some fear, and he can return before the regular season is over, the Warriors could be a great outside title bet.

It’s obviously safest to wait until there’s more news on Thompson, but that price will tempt a lot of bettors right now, particularly after Woj suggested he might not miss the whole season.