Sixers currently have fourth-best title odds in NBA, per Draft Kings

Following the trade heard ‘round the world, which sent wayward point forward Ben Simmons to Brooklyn in return for former MVP James Harden, our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook have updated the Sixers’ 2021-2022 NBA Championship odds. It will come as no surprise to many of you — given that the Sixers have essentially replaced Seth Curry in the starting lineup with James freaking Harden — that the team’s odds have seen a boost since the trade.

The Sixers’ title odds currently now sit at +700.

Here’s how the top of the rankings shake out, with some commentary to follow:

Phoenix Suns +380

Golden State Warriors +450

Brooklyn Nets +475

Philadelphia 76ers +700

Milwaukee Bucks +750

Miami Heat +1000

The first thing that will stick out to many is that the eight-seed Nets still maintain the third-best title odds, despite losing eight of their last 10. Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons still do not have a timeline for their return to play, and while there is renewed optimism in New York for Kyrie Irving being able to play home games despite his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, there’s an awful lot of ground to make up for that team to even hope to avoid the play-in tournament, much less gel into bonafide championship contender.

Elsewhere, I wouldn’t quibble at all if the Sixers and Bucks had even odds, given Milwaukee’s top-end talent and the respect deserved for last year’s champs.

And I’m a bit surprised at the long odds placed on the tied-for-first Heat, and the Chicago Bulls — whom I haven’t even mentioned yet — all the way at +3000.

Needless to say, DraftKings Sportsbook is feeling good about the Sixers, and so are we.

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