With NBA free agency nearing a close and most rosters set, the Westgate Sportsbook in Las Vegas has the Knicks and Nets at opposite ends of the spectrum.
In the over/under for wins, the Knicks, who failed to make a noticeable upgrade in free agency, rest at the very bottom.
New York is tied with Cleveland for the fewest projected victories at 22 ½. That’s based on a 72-game schedule, so a 22-50 Knicks record wins the under bet.
The Knicks’ odds to break their 48-year championship drought are 500-1 – tied for the longest shot on the board with Cleveland, Detroit and Oklahoma City, which has undergone a fire sale after making the 2020 playoffs.
All of the NBA stars in New York City reside in Brooklyn. The Nets have been given an over/under for wins of 45 ½. That means a 46-26 Nets record wins the over bet.
The odds for Brooklyn to win the title have been bet down to 5-1 at Westgate. That’s only behind the Lakers, who are 3-1 to repeat.
The Nets’ second-choice status takes into consideration the chance of Nets owner Joe Tsai obtaining disgruntled superstar James Harden, according to Westgate’s risk management director Jeff Sherman.
Odds are heavy that James Dolan’s Knicks will miss the playoffs for an eighth straight season after missing out on all of their prime free-agent targets, including Fred VanVleet, Gordon Hayward, D.J. Augustin, Jerami Grant and Carmelo Anthony.
The Knicks still have $18 million in cap space and need to spend $8 million to reach the NBA’s minimum payroll. Knicks rookie president Leon Rose is likely done making genuine upgrades.
The Knicks have cooled their interest in Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo, though the latter could change. Washington’s eccentric, injury-marred point guard John Wall now wants out of D.C., and Utah’s high-priced PG Mike Conley could be available in a trade that would slide into part of the Knicks’ remaining cap space.
But there’s little point in trading for Conley or San Antonio guard DeMar DeRozan as both are unrestricted free agents in 2021, when Rose and senior VP William Wesley are ready to pounce in a mammoth way.
With all the rumors swirling around a potential Harden trade between Brooklyn and Houston, both teams are off the board on BetOnline.
“It was tricky this year to calculate Win Totals with the shortened season and I will admit some may be a touch off. We are really curious to see how some of these get bet,” said BetOnline SportsBook Manager Adam Burns. “We are not opening the Nets or Rockets Wins just yet as we’re still waiting on the Harden rumors, which would have a major impact of probably six wins for the Rockets.”
The second-round pick the Knicks acquired from the Timberwolves in the Ed Davis trade (along with Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans) is in 2026.
