Boston Celtics Championship Odds: Are the Celtics the Favorites After Adding Malcolm Brogdon?

Boston Celtics Championship Odds: Are the Celtics the Favorites After Adding Malcolm Brogdon?

After the Boston Celtics and their management watched the Golden State Warriors celebrate an NBA Championship on the Boston home floor, it was clear some adjustments needed to be made to take that next leap to champions. After a couple of very significant moves, the Celtics have addressed their weaknesses and now have passed Milwaukee (+700) as the oddsmakers' favorite in the East to win the championship. Boston is now at +625.

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Boston Celtics Championship Odds Breakdown

In the first 24 hours of free agency, the Celtics have been linked to two moves. First, they plan to sign forward Danilo Gallinari after he clears waivers following his release from San Antonio. Gallinari was part of the deal that brought Dejounte Murray to Atlanta and it was clear he had no real future with the rebuilding Spurs. Gallinari gives the Celtics some serious spacing and shooting from one of their big men and a strong offensive and defensive presence off the bench.

The move that was announced Friday was a trade of four players plus a first-round draft pick to the Indiana Pacers for guard Malcolm Brogdon. The players the Celtics gave up Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Aaron Nesmith, Nik Stauskas, and Daniel Theis were basically non-factors in the playoffs and the first-round draft pick in 2023 figures to be a very late pick.

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Brogdon can play either guard spot off the bench or can slot in next to Marcus Smart to create a small-ball lineup of Smart, Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford/Robert Williams. But where Brogdon should contribute most is off the bench and as a crunch-time scorer.

Brogdon has also been kept on ice frequently in Indiana as they positioned for a better draft pick. Still just 29 years old with two 19-point-per-game seasons under his belt, he has plenty left in the tank.

These two moves immediately address what plagued the Celtics in the 2022 playoffs: their lack of decent weapons off the bench. By the time the Finals rolled around, Smart, Brown, and Tatum were playing 46 minutes per night because the Celtics could in no way trust Payton Pritchard, Grant Williams, or Derrick White to get a bucket when one was needed.

With Brogdon and Gallinari now in the fold, they have a plethora of offensive options and a number of ways they can mix and match their lineup to counter what their opponents are doing against them.

Right now, the Celtics look like the best bet to come out of the East and win the Finals. Milwaukee (+700) and Miami (+1100) are certainly not done in free agency, however. Milwaukee signed sharpshooter Joe Ingles on Thursday, and Miami is now linked to both Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell after the Jazz started a fire sale on Friday.

But as things stand 24 hours after free agency began, the Boston Celtics are an even stronger team than the one that was just two wins away from an NBA championship in 2022.

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