Golden State’s 2020 NBA Championship Odds Now +1000 After Acquiring D’Angelo Russell From Nets

• The Warriors are retooling on the fly, after acquiring D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade
• Kevin Durant has left Golden State and has joined Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn
• Are the Warriors worthy of a championship wager in 2020?

Well, that was dizzying.

by my count, 48 nba contracts were agreed to in the first 8 hours of free agency

they're worth more than $3.175 billion pic.twitter.com/DCuYcNGTS9

— Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) July 1, 2019

NBA free agency kicked off in grand fashion Sunday night. And while Kevin Durant leaving the Warriors to join Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn was the major headline stealer, his former team made the most stunning move of the day:

Golden State and Brooklyn have agreed on a sign-and-trade, sending D’Angelo Russell to the Warriors on a four-year, $117M maximum contract, league sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019

Talk about retooling on the fly: gone are KD and Andre Iguodala (dealt to make room for Russell), and essentially an end to what turned into one of the best five-year runs by any team in NBA history.  And the Warriors are ushering in a new era, with a team that could at least be competitive in the new, wide-open chase for a ‘chip.

2020 NBA Championship Odds

*Odds taken 07/01/19

The NBA Championship Odds have shifted dramatically since the start of last year, when it was Golden State’s world and everyone else was playing for second. Even after acquiring the talented 23-year-old, the Dubs aren’t anywhere near that former perch.

Russell a Good Get for Warriors

Good management is necessary to succeed in the NBA, and the Warriors have that. It’s why they were able to pivot quickly when losing Durant to free agency: while some franchises would hold pressers to talk about how they will go on, the Dubs had multiple plans in place to execute.

As D'Angelo Russell goes to Golden State, revisit his top moments in Brooklyn ❄️ pic.twitter.com/la5O1wDFzK

— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 1, 2019

Russell is not Durant, but he is a freshly minted NBA All-Star coming into his own, helping lead Brooklyn out of the ashes and into the playoffs last season. In 81 games, he put up 21.1 points and 7.0 assists on 36.4% shooting from deep. He also showed the willingness to take big shots in the crunch. Minus Durant in the playoffs, the team struggled getting a secondary shot creator on the floor to aid the Splash Brothers.

Think of all the ways D'Angelo Russell being an undeserving injury replacement to the All-Star game in a very shallow conference changed NBA history. Meaningless optics had a huge effect on his perception.

— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) July 1, 2019

That reality hasn’t changed. In the interim, he and Steph Curry should be a fun backcourt (though porous defensively) until Klay Thompson gets back into the lineup. Depending on how Russell pans out, the Warriors could play three guards with Draymond Green rounding out their core four, or Russell could be moved for additional assets.

I don't know what's happening in Golden State, but the Warriors doing all they can to maximize Steph Curry's prime years is pretty neat.

— Tas Melas (@TasMelas) July 1, 2019

Either way, the Warriors have made themselves competitive in both the short and long term.

Is Golden State a Worthy Title Bet in 2020?

This is an exciting time for the league, as it’s the first time since before LeBron James joined the Heat that there hasn’t been an overwhelming favorite heading into the season.

The Warriors should be in the mix, so long as Curry is healthy and Green is doing the rest of the grunt work well, but this is a team in transition.

The Warriors should be in the mix, so long as Curry is healthy and Green is doing the rest of the grunt work well, but this is a team in transition. While Russell helps, rounding out the rest of the roster will be a challenge, while a max salary in Thompson wears street clothes. They’re a playoff team in the West still, but not a title bet.

KD: Nets
Kyrie: Nets
D-Lo: Warriors
Kemba: Celtics
Jimmy: Heat
Horford: 76ers
Tobias: 76ers
Middleton: Bucks
Redick: Pelicans
Porzingis: Mavs
Bogdanovic: Jazz
Brogdon: Pacers
Randle: Knicks
Rose: Pistons

And now we wait for the Board Man. pic.twitter.com/o4RPB0uZMn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2019

The Lakers are still the right wager at this time, whether they use their cap space on (gulp) Kawhi Leonard, or divvy up that money on filling out a roster around AD, LeBron and Kyle Kuzma. If Leonard returns to the Raptors, that would be a great bet at +700.

Outside shot? I really like what Philly did acquiring Al Horford, retaining Tobias Harris, and moving Jimmy Butler for Josh Richardson. They’re good value at +1000.