Kevin Durant plays for the Warriors -- at least for the time being.
That hasn't stopped oddsmakers from placing a heavy bet that he'll end up with the Knicks when he hits free agency this summer. And once he does, those oddsmakers expect the Knicks to be pretty darn good.
The SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas revealed odds to win the 2020 NBA championship on Saturday, and New York opened at 16-1. That's behind only the Milwaukee Bucks (9-2), Boston Celtics (7-1) and Philadelphia 76ers (10-1) for the best odds in the Eastern Conference.
How much of that projection is based on Durant landing with the Knicks in free agency? Jeff Sherman, who oversees NBA odds at the SuperBook, told ESPN that the Knicks would be somewhere in the range of 300-1 without him (or another superstar).
The Knicks will have nearly $73 million available in salary-cap space, the most of any team in the NBA. In addition to Durant, each of Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving could be high-profile targets for New York.
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Even with the uncertainty surrounding Durant's impending free agency, the Warriors still opened with the best 2020 championship odds of all NBA teams at 7-4. Since signing Durant in 2016, Golden State has entered each of the last three seasons as the odds-on favorite to win the title.
