The Lede: LA Believes in Magic
Don’t have time to read through 1,000 words, but need some informed betting tips? Here’s a quick rundown on today’s biggest sports story, and how it impacts the way you should bet. Missed yesterday’s? See it here.
Magic Johnson Takes Over the Lakers
In an unprecedented move, the Los Angeles Lakers have fired vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak two days before the NBA trade deadline (Feb. 23). Taking over for the two men who oversaw the Lakers’ longest playoff drought (three seasons) will be one of the franchise’s all-time greats, Magic Johnson. Magic steps in as president of basketball operations. Joining him in the front office will be long-time agent Rob Pelinka, who will serve as the team’s general manager. Pelinka has ties to the Lakers through his days acting as Kobe Bryant’s representative.
The catalyst of the showtime Lakers wasted no time in exercising his new power. Within five hours of taking over, Magic sent Lou Williams to the Rockets for Corey Brewer and a first-round pick. But don’t think he’s done there. Los Angeles needs to tank in the final 24 games of the season. Their first-round pick in the 2017 draft belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers (through a series of trades that started with Steve Nash coming to LA), but is top-three protected (meaning that, if the Lakers have one of the top-three picks in the 2017 draft, they will retain the pick and the 76ers will get Los Angeles’ 2018 first-rounder instead).
In a draft that is being called one of the best of the last decade, the Lakers cannot afford to lose an opportunity to add premier talent. LA currently possesses the third-worst record in the league, but there are a few teams who are only a couple of games ahead of them in the standings.
So what does this all mean for your future gambling strategies? Well, if you like betting on trades, I like the prospects of 31-year-old Nick Young following Lou Williams out of LA. Speaking more conventionally, I advise betting the Lakers to lose the majority of their remaining games. Once basketball gets back underway, their first two opponents are Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Neither will be tightly contested by a Laker team that should be aiming for the bottom.
After working in TV, Matt turned his focus towards numbers, specifically odds. He has been with us since 2016 and serves as SBD's Editor-in-Chief, credited with creating our futures trackers, SBD's score predictor, SBD Sharp, and his own model for calculating NFL SOS, among other products.
