- The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, shortening their odds to win the NBA Finals from +3000 to +900 at Bovada Sportsbook.
- The Dallas Mavericks received Anthony Davis in exchange but their NBA Championship odds dropped to +2800.
- Los Angeles has the second-best odds to win the Western Conference (+650), while the Mavericks are tied for fifth at +1500 odds.
LOS ANGELES – NBA superstar Luka Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and other assets in one of the biggest trades in NBA history. The unexpected blockbuster deal had a major legal sports betting impact for betting odds of both teams.
BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Three-team deal that includes Utah.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to make a big move, perhaps for Jimmy Butler or De’Aaron Fox, but no one could’ve predicted they would land Luka Doncic. The 25-year-old just averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists and led the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA Finals run, but that isn’t expected to happen again this season.
Futures odds at legal NBA betting sites dropped off hard for Dallas to win the Western Conference and to win the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the Lakers became the second-best team in the West according to betting odds.
Betting Odds Impact Of Luka-AD Trade
Team | Conference Odds Before Trade | Conference Odds After Trade | Championship Odds Before Trade | Championship Odds After Trade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Lakers | +1600 | +650 | +3000 | +900 |
Dallas Mavericks | +900 | +1500 | +2400 | +2800 |
Luka Trade Improves Lakers Finals Odds To +900
The trade sets Los Angeles up better in the long term, but they’ve now lost their best defensive player and team leader in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks per game. Perhaps the short +900 legal California sports betting anticipate the Lakers making a move for a center to replace Davis.
Bovada Sportsbook puts the Lakers ahead of their kryptonite, the Denver Nuggets, for both conference championship odds and NBA Finals odds. Denver (+1400) is the only Western Conference team between the Lakers (+900) and Mavericks (+2800) large odds gap, with the Oklahoma City Thunder way ahead at +240 odds.
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News tags: Anthony Davis | basketball | Dallas Mavericks | Los Angeles Lakers | Luka Doncic | NBA | NBA Finals | Texas

Zach graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Writing, Editing, and Media. Zach is interested in the legalization aspect of sports betting and enjoys participating in DFS. He has a passion for sports writing and most enjoys writing about football and baseball both professional and collegiate.