Updated 2021 NBA Draft Odds – See Odds to Be Selected in Top 5 on Draft Day

• It’s NBA Draft day – odds for each of the top five picks are listed below
• Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Jalen Green are heavily favored to go in the top three
• The Pistons, Rockets, Cavaliers and Raptors won the lottery, who will they select on Thursday night?

We’ve finally got here – it’s Draft Day. With just a matter of hours until the first pick is made, it seems a good time to take a look at some of the updated 2021 NBA Draft odds. Rumors continue to fly around the NBA Twittersphere, and there remains potential for a big trade or two before the first five picks are announced.

As it stands, the Pistons are picking first overall, followed by the Rockets, Cavaliers, Raptors and Magic. The nature of this draft class has made it particularly challenging for any team to move into the top four.

Starting with the top pick, let’s take a look at the best bets to be selected at each spot.

Odds to Be Selected First Overall in 2021 NBA Draft

All odds as of July 29th at DraftKings

Cunningham Is a Lock

Priced at -8000 to go first overall, Cade Cunningham is a lock. The Oklahoma State do-it-all wing hasn’t worked out for anyone other than the Pistons. Rumors of Detroit trading out of the top spot have been just that. This part of the draft looks like nothing more than a formality.

Talk of blockbuster trades to land the first overall pick has never come to fruition. Brief murmurs of the Thunder including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a deal appears to have been little more than speculation. The Pistons did their due diligence to consider the other options at the top of this draft, but Cunningham has been considered the clear number one choice for several months. It would be one of the greatest shocks in draft history if he ended up anywhere other than Detroit.

Some draft experts have suggested Jalen Green and Evan Mobley are greater talents than Cunningham, but he’s definitely the safer pick. The mix of defensive potential, shot creation and playmaking should see Cunningham make an instant impact in the pros.

Odds to Be Selected Second Overall in 2021 NBA Draft

Evan Mobley long looked like a guarantee to go second overall. Recent reporting has changed the picture, however, with Jalen Green now comfortably favored to be taken after Cade Cunningham. Mobley was +120 to go second as recently as July 13th.

This pick has been subject of greater speculation than Detroit’s. Houston is in the depths of a rebuild and can go whichever direction they fancy. Green’s upside is undeniable, but a lot of people have Mobley higher on their big boards. Mobley’s defensive potential gives him a higher floor in the NBA.

While Mobley and Christian Wood could play together, the fit obviously isn’t ideal. This might have played a role in the Rockets’ thinking. Of course, a lot of these leaks could be a decoy from the Houston front office.

There’s value in a small wager on Mobley to go second overall. The Athletic’s Alykhan Bijani prefers Mobley for the Rockets, and it remains plausible that a team trades up to snatch Mobley before the Cavs take him at three.

Pick: Evan Mobley (+450)

Odds to Be Selected Third Overall in 2021 NBA Draft

The Cavaliers have been the center of plenty of NBA Draft rumors. Potential trades involving the third overall pick and/or Collin Sexton could change the situation here, but the latest reporting leans towards Cleveland making the pick and taking Evan Mobley.

There’s a belief that Mobley and Jarrett Allen can function together in the frontcourt. Chris Fedor reported that Cavs general manager Koby Altman is not interested in trading down as he sees too big a gap between the top three and the rest. If that’s the case, it’s going to come down to who is left on the board.

Cleveland create a logjam if they take Jalen Green. Mobley is the better fit for them, particularly if Altman believes he can play the four alongside Allen.

With a trade apparently unlikely, betting on the third overall pick depends where you land on the second pick. It sounds like the Cavs are going to draft best player available, so Green might represent some value at that price.

Pick: Jalen Green (+400)

Odds to Be Selected Fourth Overall in 2021 NBA Draft

It looks like the Raptors will be staying at four and making this pick. This is where the draft gets much less predictable. Jalen Suggs has long been thought of as the fourth-best prospect in this class, but there has been a shift to viewing it as a three-player top tier recently. That has led to some speculation that the Raptors could look elsewhere, with Scottie Barnes being a prospect they have a lot of interest in.

"The player development program is off the charts," says projected top-4 pick Jalen Suggs, who was asked about the Raptors during his pre-draft avail. He mentioned the proximity of the 905 to Toronto as well as the team's success stories: Siakam, Boucher and VanVleet. pic.twitter.com/jOPwgjPEVa

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) July 27, 2021

Evan Massey reports that the Raps are not ‘locked on’ Suggs. With Kyle Lowry likely departing this offseason, Suggs is an ideal long-term fit at point guard, but Toronto is clearly very keen on Barnes.

Priced at +200 with DraftKings to go fourth, Barnes’ stock has risen quickly in the last few weeks. Evan Mobley was as short as -167 on July 13th, but with the top three seemingly locked in, Chad Ford reported a few days ago that the Raptors are choosing between Suggs, Barnes and Jonathan Kuminga.

Jalen Suggs says "it's funny, I've never been a full-time basketball player before." (He was a star quarterback too). Says he always put the hoops stuff away when it was football season. "It's scary to think about how good I can be."

— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) July 27, 2021

Kuminga’s draft stock has gone in the opposite direction to Barnes. Once considered a definite top five pick, the Ignite forward has slipped down draft boards and even fallen into the teens in some mock drafts.

There could be value on Kuminga at +1000. The Raptors player development record might make them buy into his unquestionable upside. With Toronto trying to contend, though, Suggs remains the obvious option.

Pick: Jalen Suggs (-250)

Odds to Be Selected Fifth Overall in 2021 NBA Draft

Betting this market is obviously linked to the fourth overall pick. Zach Harper and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic have reported that the Orlando Magic will not pass on Scottie Barnes if he’s available and the same goes for Jalen Suggs if the Raptors take Barnes.

Despite Evan Mobley and Jalen Green each being priced at +2500, there’s practically no chance they are still on the board at the fifth pick. Orlando is clearly focused on Suggs and Barnes, but there could be value looking elsewhere.

The raw athleticism of Jonathan Kuminga fits with Orlando’s draft tendencies. A trade shouldn’t be ruled out either, with the Magic also possessing the eighth pick. Whether they trade up or flip this pick for future assets, it’s worth considering that another team could be drafting at five. The Thunder might look to move up a spot or the Memphis Grizzlies could make a leap. It was reported after the Jonas Valanciunas trade that the Grizz are looking to move up again.

There are limited options to fit around what the Magic already have. Barnes has widely been mocked to the Magic, but playing him alongside Jonathan Isaac isn’t ideal. Orlando doesn’t seem keen to trade, though, which makes Barnes the best bet here by default given Harper and Vecenie’s reporting.

Pick: Scottie Barnes (-295)