Opening 2020 NBA Championship Odds: Warriors Favored, Knicks Given Short 15-1 Odds, Lakers Listed at 20-1, Zion’s Pelicans Set at 40-1

• The Golden State Warriors have opened as the favorite to win the 2020 NBA title
• The New York Knicks are at 15/1 as they vie to sign Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving
• Still searching for talent to put around LeBron James, the Lakers are at 20/1 

The 2019-20 NBA championship odds have been posted. There are a couple of surprising teams high up on the board including the New York Knicks, who are at 15/1, the Los Angeles Lakers, who are at 20/1, and the New Orleans Pelicans, who are at 40/1.

Are any worth a wager or is the safest bet the Golden State Warriors, who just steamrolled Portland in the Western Conference finals without Kevin Durant?

2019-20 NBA Championship Odds

*Odds from May 20, 2019.

Warriors Can Win Without Kevin Durant

There was a time this postseason – and in the 2018-19 regular season – when the Warriors looked complacent. They had a number of embarrassing losses – including at home to the Phoenix Suns – and they seemed almost disinterested.

That trickled into the playoffs, too, when they lost two games in the opening round to the No. 8-seed Los Angeles Clippers. But then, when Kevin Durant was lost to a calf injury, the Warriors came to life.

The Warriors before Kevin Durant.
?: @NBA pic.twitter.com/KSkZeO0zHX

— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) May 21, 2019

Both Draymond Green and Steph Curry elevated their games to MVP levels while Klay Thompson also stepped up at both ends of the floor. The Warriors bench, which had been an afterthought and a team weakness, all of the sudden perked up too. This team just functions a bit better when it runs through Curry instead of Durant.

What this means is the Warriors, who are likely to lose Durant in free agency, still deserve to be favored next season. They were a 73-win team before Durant arrived and while he’s one of the game’s best players, they’ll be fine if he walks in free agency. They can use some of that money to re-sign Thompson and rebuild their bench. No matter what happens, they enter 2019-20 as the team to beat if Curry, Green, and Thompson comprise the core (which they will).

Warriors: 3-0 without Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant: pic.twitter.com/s4UMvyzou3

— TKG X SBG (@TrashKatzGeddis) May 20, 2019

New York Knicks Posted At 15/1

It seems a little crazy that the worst team in the NBA is among the favorites to win the title next season. Of course, this price bakes in the fact that the Knicks are favored to acquire Durant and Kyrie Irving in the offseason.

This is one of the most ridiculous betting lines to wager on right now, though. It is far from a sure thing that KD and Kyrie are playing home games at MSG next year.

Knicks fans really spent all season making Zion photoshop edits lmaooo RIP pic.twitter.com/LilwUhRpwm

— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 15, 2019

If the Knicks only get one star or if both go elsewhere, you’re caught holding a bag (not of money) with the Knicks at 15/1. Their odds would drop to the 100/1 range (or worse) if that happened.

On the other hand, let’s say the Knicks get both. Even with Irving and Durant, this roster is still bereft of talent. Who else is there? Kevin Knox? Dennis Smith Jr., who plays the same position as Irving?

The team will probably draft R.J. Barrett with the third pick in the 2019 NBA Draft but that’s still not enough. Don’t forget New York’s track record as a franchise. They have won just one playoff series in the last 19 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1PsCK9KiMQ

The East is strong nowadays with the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors (if they keep Kawhi Leonard), and Indiana Pacers. A Knicks team with three ball-dominant stars like Durant, Irving and Barrett will have a hard time making the finals, let alone winning a championship.

Until you see what the roster looks like and what they look like on the floor, they’re not worth a bet.

Los Angeles Lakers Again Getting Some Love

The Lakers were as high as +1200 last season and we see how that turned out. As we move towards the 2019 offseason, we’re seeing a similar pattern play out. LeBron James is out there recruiting and the Lakers are getting some love from the oddsmakers.

However, this could be a big mistake.

For starters, the franchise just looks like a mess. Magic Johnson is out and he recently ripped General Manager Rob Pelinka for stabbing him in the back. The coaching search was a disaster as the team somehow failed to hire Ty Lue. They hired Frank Vogel but forced him to have Jason Kidd on his staff. It’s unclear who is making decisions for this franchise.

The current roster looks like a mess. James is surrounded by a group of young players that he basically tried to trade and you know they’ll be doing the same in the offseason. If they can swing a trade for Anthony Davis, then this team will deserve to be at +2000. However, what if they can’t?

There’s a very good chance the Lakers end up bringing back a similar roster with James, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart. Why would Kawhi Leonard join that mess instead of going to a Clippers team that overachieved? Why would Klay Thompson leave Golden State to join this dysfunction? Do they fall back on a max deal with Kemba Walker?

It feels like it’s again Anthony Davis-or-bust, and the Lakers couldn’t get it done at the trade deadline.

Now that the Boston Celtics are able to get involved, that won’t help. James is having a tough time recruiting players to join him. I’d stay far away from this 20/1 until I see their final roster.

New Orleans Pelicans At 40/1 After Winning Top Pick

The Pelicans surprised a lot of people when they won the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Of course, that means they’re getting their hands on Zion Williamson, who is supposed to be a generational talent. Now when you add in either the return of Davis (unlikely) or the assets that he’ll return, the Pelicans can start to piece together a roster.

Zion’s reaction to Pels getting the #1 pick ? #NBADraftLottery pic.twitter.com/DqrRBLxfEJ

— bounce (@el_catel) May 15, 2019

The good news is they have a smart man at the top with David Griffin. When you start to think about Jrue Holliday, Williamson and possibly another lottery pick (and assets) if they trade Davis, you can see there are some good things percolating in New Orleans.

They’ll also have plenty of cap space as they should be in the range of just $73 million on the books.

The reason I’d stay from the Pelicans is that they have a long way to go. They look like they’ve got the pieces of a good foundation but unless they keep Davis, it’s hard to see this team competing for a title next season. They aren’t linked to any star free agents, so they’ll have to cultivate their roster slowly. I wouldn’t bet them to win it all in 2019-20.

What’s The Best Bet?

By process of elimination, it’s quite simple. There’s no way I’m backing the Knicks until I know their roster; the Lakers are a pass as their franchise is in disarray; and the Pelicans are a couple of years away. That means the Warriors are the best bet on the board of these four teams.