It’s a stunner that has sent reverberations across the New York sports landscape, as the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Nets.
Bridges vaults the Knicks firmly in contention to win the 2025 NBA Finals as they leapfrogged the 76ers, going from 18/1 to 10/1 on ESPN BET.
The Knicks are tied for the fifth-best odds with the Mavericks and Bucks to win the title, with the Timberwolves coming in at +900 and the Thunder (+850), Nuggets (+650) and Celtics (+280) at the top.
The massive upswing for the Knicks also saw their Eastern Conference championship odds move from +750 to +500.
In the East, only the Milwaukee Bucks (+400) and Celtics (+125) have better odds, with Boston, of course, being the favorites to repeat as NBA champion by a wide margin.
Even without Bridges, the Knicks were on the cusp of greatness in 2024, getting as low as +325 to win the Eastern Conference when they boasted a 2-0 series lead on the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
They ultimately out of steam in the series as injuries mounted and they fell in seven games to the Pacers.
However, the addition of Bridges, who prides himself on his 474-game active playing streak, should help with their durability concerns.
2025 NBA Championship odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | +280 |
| Denver Nuggets | +650 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +850 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +900 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 10/1 |
| New York Knicks | 10/1 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 10/1 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 13/1 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 20/1 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 25/1 |
| Miami Heat | 25/1 |
| Phoenix Suns | 25/1 |
| Golden State Warriors | 30/1 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 30/1 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 40/1 |
| Indiana Pacers | 50/1 |
| Sacramento Kings | 50/1 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 60/1 |
| Orlando Magic | 80/1 |
There are still many dominoes to fall before these odds are finalized, as Paul George and LeBron James are both pending free agents and could be in new uniforms this upcoming season.
However, the prevailing sentiment is that both players will be back with their current teams, given salary cap restrictions across the league.
Furthermore, Jimmy Butler is seemingly in the midst of a public spat with the Miami Heat, which is also worth monitoring.
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The Philadelphia 76ers appear live to make a major move, as they are one of the few teams with enough cap space to make a pickup in free agency.
Although a cryptic report from The Athletic suggested the 76ers had “waning” interest in George.