Brooklyn Nets Odds Update: A Look at the Nets' Championship Odds Update After Trading Harden for Ben Simmons
Brooklyn Nets Odds Update: A Look at the Nets' Championship Odds Update After Trading Harden for Ben Simmons
Just over a year ago, the Brooklyn Nets acquired James Harden in a trade that they thought was going to help launch them over the top. Well, just 13 months later they sent him packing to Philadelphia in a monster trade.
Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Harden is going to the 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks.
In 44 games with Brooklyn this year, Harden is averaging 22.5 points per game with 10.2 assists to go along with it. The nine-time All-Star now heads to Philadelphia, who is fifth in the Eastern Conference in order to try to complete his championship run.
Ben Simmons has yet to play for the 76ers this year due to a feud with the team. Now, the defensive-minded point guard is on his way to Brooklyn to try to restart his career. Let's take a look at the Nets Championship odds before and after the trade.
Brooklyn Nets Championship Odds
| Odds | Implied Chance | |
|---|---|---|
| Before Trade | +350 | 22.22% |
| After Trade | +425 | 19.05% |
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As expected, the Brooklyn Nets' odds have taken a little bit of a hit. Still, even with the loss of Harden, Brooklyn has Kevin Durant who is averaging 29.3 points per game, and Kyrie Irving (at least for road games) who s averaging 23.2 points per game.
Simmons' game is very different from Harden's. He won't score a ton, his career-high in points per game is 16.9 which came back in 2018-2019 but he will provide steady defense and will be able to set up the other two for scoring chances.
With Kyrie and Durant as the core and Simmons as the complementary piece will it be enough?
Oddsmakers still think so. The Nets at +425 are the betting favorites. It might be a tougher task but one thing is for certain, both Ben Simmons and James Harden needed fresh starts. We'll see if it has a positive impact on the Nets for this year and beyond.