Sports Betting News

NBA Trade Deadline Betting Recap

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and four teams made important moves that bettors need to be aware of when making their wagers during the playoff stretch run.

The Dallas Mavericks were the first team to make a splash at the trade deadline, getting Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood from Washington right after the All-Star break. That trade has paid off quickly for Dallas, which has won its last three games (including an upset over Orlando on the road). Despite the roster tweak the Mavericks are a +1500 underdog to win the title at Sportsbook.com; that’s not much of an upgrade on where they were before Butler and Haywood arrived.

Much farther down on the championship odds list are Portland and Houston, who were both active at the deadline. The Blazers are +6000 underdogs at Sportsbook.com even after acquiring Marcus Camby from the Clippers. The Blazers needed a center due to injuries to Greg Oden and Joe Przybilla, but Camby’s arrival may not be enough if Brandon Roy can’t shake the injury bug.

The Rockets finally got rid of Tracy McGrady at the deadline, and they brought in a solid scorer in Kevin Martin. The oddsmakers still don’t think they have what it takes to get anywhere in the postseason, though, as the Rockets are huge +10000 underdogs to win it all. Martin got off to a slow start with Houston in his first game - he netted 14 points but shot only 3-of-16 in a 125-115 upset loss to Indiana.

Martin’s debut for Houston was still much better than Antawn Jamison’s first game with Cleveland. Jamison was the Cavaliers’ big trade deadline acquisition and they hope he’ll be the final piece in a championship squad. The Sportsbook.com oddsmakers like the Cavaliers to go all the way, and have them down as a +150 NBA title favorite. Jamison made his Cleveland debut on Friday in Charlotte and he was terrible, with only two points on 0-for-12 shooting. Cleveland ended up losing 110-93 as a 4.5-point favorite.