Best Championship, Conference & Divisional Futures Bets to Make Ahead of 2021 NBA Trade Deadline

• With the NBA trade deadline set for Thursday, which teams currently present value to bettors in the futures market?
• Boston, Denver and San Antonio are incentivized to deal – they could be darkhorse contenders
• See Championship odds for these clubs as well as trade deadline betting analysis within the story below

When looking ahead to the NBA trade deadline and looking for value, approach it using one operative word: “Likely.” And remember, nobody thought it was “likely” that the Miami Heat would make the NBA Finals last season.

Which team is “likely” to make a major move to improve its championship chances? Which player is “likely” to be sent to a contending team because of his current team’s predicament? Which GM is “likely” to shake things up because his team is underachieving?

Let’s look at three teams that fit those parameters: Boston, Denver and San Antonio.

2021 NBA Championship Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings and FanDuel on March 23rd.

Are Any of These Teams Legitimate Title Threats?

The Celtics are a sub-.500 team after they went to the Eastern Conference finals last season; the Nuggets are tied for fifth place in the West despite having the leading MVP candidate, and the Spurs have put LaMarcus Aldridge on the shelf while they try to find him a new team.

In the abstract, they all have what it takes to compete in the NBA Championship odds – if they make the right trades.

Denver would seem to have the best chance, because they came back from  pair of 3-1 deficits in the playoffs a year ago (the first NBA team ever to do so) before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Also, they are one of the top rumored destinations for Orlando’s Aaron Gordon.

Sources: Aaron Gordon has put the Boston Celtics near the top of the list of teams he would like be traded to. Celtics and Magic remain engaged in trade talks. Boston has moved to Gordon as their primary target three days from the trade deadline.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 23, 2021

Remember, it does not really matter what a team looks like in mid-March. It matters what they look like at the end of May when the playoffs are getting ready to start. By then, the Lakers should have Anthony Davis and LeBron James back at full strength, and they will be the favorites. But they do not have Dwight Howard anymore, and he was awfully good at getting into Jokic’s head during the postseason.

How Many Trades Will Happen Thursday?

There are a lot of rumors out there as Thursday’s deadline approaches, some better than others. NBA writers cannot speak to team personnel and scouts this season at the arenas because the league is keeping everyone socially distant, so there is no in-arena reporting going on – and that is where writers usually get their best intel, fuelling odds on players to be traded.

In the East, the Brooklyn Nets are worthy favorites because of what James Harden has brought to the team. But they now are without Kyrie Irving for the next few days because of a personal matter, Kevin Durant has not played a game since Feb. 13, and at the current moment (although they could trade for Cleveland’s JaVale McGee) they do not have a backup center better than Nicolas Claxton.

If the Nets have to play Philadelphia, they will have trouble defending Joel Embiid. If Boston is on the other side of the bracket, Danny Ainge’s team could take on the Nets-Sixers survivor in the Eastern Conference finals and win – provided he makes the correct trade.

Danny Ainge And R.C. Buford Are the Executives to Watch

Ainge has still not replaced the scoring he lost when Gordon Hayward signed with Charlotte, and Tristan Thompson is the most likely to be dealt. No question Ainge is the Eastern Conference executive most likely to make a trade that improves his team. And if he can get the Celtics to the finals, anything can happen in any given series. So the trick is winning the conference.

San Antonio is not currently equipped to win the West, but let’s see what R.C. Buford does. Aldridge is on the shelf, DeMarcus DeRozan is on an expiring contract and will be an unrestricted free agent, and Patty Mills is also on an expiring contract at a position where the Spurs have Derrick White signed long-term and Dejounte Murray playing well.

A nice combination of expiring contracts along with a future second-round pick could get them Andre Drummond from the Cavaliers. And Drummond could help them win the West.

Anywho! A quick thread of my most recent work, if you don’t mind.

The Spurs are still looking for a home for LaMarcus Aldridge. I came up with some *trade* options for himhttps://t.co/F1rVV5YBHj

— Nekias Duncan (@NekiasNBA) March 20, 2021

In the case of Denver, they have a lot of nifty parts surrounding Jokic, but Jamal Murray has not been killing it the way he was in the playoffs a year ago. To me, they are the team that makes the most sense as the ultimate destination for Aaron Gordon of Orlando, and if he comes aboard the Nuggets could certainly come out of the West.

All three have have better odds to win the conference, which is where bettors might be able to get a better return on their investment.

Odds to Win Eastern and Western Conference

What Could We See on Thursday?

Right now, the Spurs are in first place in the Southwest Division, a half-game ahead of the Mavericks. The Nuggets are second in the Northwest, six games behind Utah (which isn’t getting worse), and the Celtics are fourth in the Atlantic, which they are never going to win.

The divisional odds are already fairly locked up, with the Central (Milwaukee leads by nine games) and the Northwest (Utah leads by six games) are not competitive.

The trade deadline will bring surprises, and we will not have clarity until sometime late Thursday afternoon. With the playoffs (including the play-in tournament) expanded from 16 to 20 teams, there is an incentive for nearly everyone (super-tankers Minnesota, Detroit and Houston are excluded) to make moves.

The Hornets lost LaMelo Ball, and they need to replace him. Kyle Lowry is on an expiring contract, and the Raptors lost their ninth in a row last night. Let’s wait and see, and if you think like a GM who wants to win this season, you may be able to capitalize financially.