New NBA Championship Odds for Lakers and Mavericks following Doncic-Davis trade

• The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers kick off trade season with a blockbuster Saturday night
• The primary pieces are Luka Doncic going to LA, with Anthony Davis and a 1st round pick to Dallas
• Read below for updated championship odds, and if the Lakers or Mavs are worth a title wager

The NBA world was officially rocked Saturday night, with a blockbuster trade so unbelievable the news across social media was believed to be a hack to basketball’s breaking news guru, Shams Charania.

Well, the dust has cleared, and it’s a deal still hard to imagine. Dallas is dealing all-world star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, for a package that includes Anthony Davis and a 1st-Round draft pick.

Not surprisingly, LA’s title hopes just got a jolt in the recently updated NBA Championship odds.

2025 NBA Championship Odds

The Lakers started the day with the same odds as the Mavericks, at +2500, but the trade has the books sending each team’s fortunes in the opposite direction. LA is now a Top-5 contender in the title chase, at +2000.

Dallas, meanwhile, has tumbled to 10th spot, at a distant +3000 odds.

Let’s break down this deal and see if either of these teams should be considered a title wager.

Odds as of February 1 at DraftKings. Be sure to check out the best DraftKings promo code before placing a futures bet for an NBA Championship.

Can Doncic Deliver Title With LeBron?

The totality of the deal, as of Friday night, has Luka, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris off to LA, with AD, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. The Jazz are also involved in the deal and they will receive Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Clippers’ 2025 second round pick and the Mavs’ 2025 second round pick.

Doncic, who hasn’t played since Christmas as he deals with a calf strain, is expected to be back in the lineup by before the All-Star break, which is a couple of weeks away.

When he went down, he was averaging 28.1 points per game, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists, and is undoubtedly considered a Top-5 player in the NBA.

For big-picture, this is a massive win for LA, as their succession plan post-LBJ was always in doubt, but now they have the superstar to build on for years to come.

In the present, pairing him with LeBron is going to be must-watch television, but it’s hard to see how the Lakers as currently constructed can compete with the NBA’s other title contenders.

Davis, who’s been out for two games with an abdomen injury, is one of the premier, do-all bigs in basketball. Just after the Lakers’ 128-112 win over the Knicks Saturday, James said postgame that AD covers so much of what LA does defensively.

Doncic is a lot of things, but he’s not a plus defender, and other than Jaxson Hayes, there are no other big bodies that can protect the rim.

This is all speculation, but it leads me to believe the Lakers must have more in store before the trade deadline.

Are the Mavericks or Lakers Bet-Worthy?

From the Mavericks’ perspective, they have swapped a star for a star, and Davis brings a major defensive presence and inside scoring force that very few teams in the league can match.

Better yet, Davis will eventually have Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford to absorb the big man matchups at the 5-spot, something he asked LA to deliver to let him play at the preferred power forward position.

Still though, with an older Kyrie Irving and no true, young vibrant star waiting in the wings, Dallas will be likely be gutting things out defensively, hoping Kyrie and AD pick-and-rolls in the clutch can carry them home.

While it’s not perfect, currently constructed, I like what the Mavericks have done. They will be a menace protecting the paint, and this is now Irving’s team to orchestrate. We’ll see if he can carry that weight that he wanted to badly when he left LeBron to forge his own path.

That doesn’t mean they’re a title contender. And unless LA adds some frontcourt defense and an active body to defend elite point guard play, this will be remembered as a deal that left both teams right where they started — still a few pieces away from contending with the NBA’s big boys.

The NBA landscape has been shaken up once again with the recent blockbuster trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. The trade, which sent superstar forward Anthony Davis to the Mavericks in exchange for rising star guard Luka Doncic, has drastically changed the championship odds for both teams.

The Lakers, who were already considered one of the favorites to win the NBA championship this season, have seen their odds improve even further with the addition of Doncic. The young Slovenian guard has quickly established himself as one of the top players in the league, averaging over 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game this season. Pairing him with LeBron James and Anthony Davis gives the Lakers a formidable big three that will be tough for any team to match up against.

As a result of this trade, many sportsbooks have adjusted their championship odds for the Lakers, with some now listing them as the clear favorites to win it all this season. The combination of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Luka Doncic is a potent one, and it’s no surprise that many are predicting a deep playoff run for the Lakers.

On the other hand, the Mavericks have also seen their championship odds improve following the acquisition of Anthony Davis. While losing Luka Doncic is a significant blow, adding a player of Davis’ caliber to their roster instantly makes them a more dangerous team. With Davis joining forces with Kristaps Porzingis in the frontcourt, the Mavericks now have one of the most formidable frontcourt duos in the league.

Despite losing Doncic, many sportsbooks still have the Mavericks listed as contenders to win the NBA championship this season. The combination of Anthony Davis and Kristaps Porzingis gives them a unique blend of size, skill, and versatility that could cause problems for opposing teams in the playoffs.

Overall, the trade between the Lakers and Mavericks has significantly altered the championship odds for both teams. The Lakers are now considered the favorites to win it all this season, while the Mavericks have also seen their odds improve with the addition of Anthony Davis. It will be interesting to see how these two teams fare in the playoffs and whether they can live up to the high expectations that have been placed upon them.