Tons Of Big Moves As NBA Free Agency Opens Up
76ers, Mavs Make Splash
As always, the start of NBA free agency was a frenzy this year with trades and free agent signings galore. Whether it was the Dejounte Murray trade to the Pelicans, the Mikal Bridges trade to the Knicks, Paul George signing with the 76ers or even a host of huge-money extensions for guys to remain with their original teams, 2024 NBA free agency got going very quickly and it’ll take some time to just sort through everything that has been happening.
The biggest move in terms of changes to the NBA betting lines going forward was George heading to Philadelphia from the Clippers but that was just one of many major names trading places and the rumors are flying as to who could be next. Even the two teams in last month’s NBA Finals — the Mavericks and Celtics — have been at the top of the headlines with what they’ve already done in the offseason.
Let’s run through some of the bigger moves and see how they’ve shifted the 2024-2025 NBA Championship odds for contenders that are trying to build up for what should be a very tightly contested season:
Philly Adds Star; Clippers Lose George, Keep Harden
The dreams of a superteam for the other squad in Los Angeles have officially been dashed as George — after five years with his hometown Clippers — has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $212 million deal with the 76ers. The 2024 NBA free agency excitement hinged largely on whether George would stick with the Clippers, who tried to keep him, so his bolting to Philadelphia to team up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who signed an enormous extension of his own, is fascinating.
The 76ers wanted to give Embiid and Maxey a third star following their first round exit against the Knicks and George fits the bill perfectly, even if he just turned 34. Philadelphia has gone from +1600 to win the title all the way down to +850. They also signed Eric Gordon, added Andre Drummond, brought back Kelly Oubre Jr., and let the much-reviled Tobias Harris go back to the Pistons. It’s clear that Daryl Morey knows the 76ers have to win right now and can’t waste another year of Embiid’s prime.
There’s no way to spin this one positively for the Clippers who now have dropped from +2500 to win the title to +5000. They still have Kawhi Leonard and re-signed James Harden for three years but have to make a bunch more moves to remain competitive even in their own division. There will not be many people making NBA prop bets on the Clippers right now even though they signed Derrick Jones Jr., Mo Bamba, Kevin Porter Jr., and Nicolas Batum.
Mavericks Improve; Celtics Lock Up Core
After losing the Finals in five games, the Mavericks wanted to give Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving a little more shooting and toughness. So, they went out and picked up longtime Warrior Klay Thompson and useful role player Naji Marshall from the Pelicans on a pair of three-years deals. Thompson leaving Golden State is one of the biggest storylines of 2024 NBA free agency as he heads to another Western Conference contender alongside two more future Hall of Famers. The issue is how much he has left in the tank after a disappointing 2023-2024 season.
Marshall might turn out to be the more impactful addition as he’s a really good defender who improved his outside shot a ton last year, becoming a 38 percent three-point shooter. Look for him to have an increased role in Dallas which was in desperate need of wing depth last postseason. Still, though, the Mavericks have actually dipped from +900 to win it all in 2024-25 to +1000 as a lot of other good teams added pieces too.
The Celtics, after a dominant regular season and postseason, haven’t gone outside of the organization so far in the offseason but instead have focused on keeping their guys. They signed Jayson Tatum to the largest contract in NBA history and extended Derrick White. Their title odds have held steady at +300. With Kristaps Porzingis on the NBA injury report for a good chunk of next season, though, Boston might need to hit the market and get another big one.
Thunder Add Size
The Thunder were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA a season ago, winning 57 games and posting the best record in the Western Conference. But, they lost to the Mavericks in the second round and it was clear that Oklahoma City needed some more size and rebounding which they got by signing former Knick Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million deal. It might be a bit too much money for someone of Hartenstein’s caliber but he was awesome on the boards for New York and gives a loaded Thunder team a much-needed defense-first power forward/center.
Also, the Thunder extended key role players Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to go with the trade for Alex Caruso two weeks ago. Oklahoma City is a much more well-rounded team now than it was during the playoffs so their title odds have dropped from +1000 to +850 (and probably should be even lower).
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