How end of Warriors' dynasty changes betting landscape across NBA

How end of Warriors' dynasty changes betting landscape across NBA

The Warriors' dynasty is no longer.

After a five year run atop the Western Conference, a ton of key contributors to Golden State's reign will play for different teams for the 2019-20 season.

Kevin Durant is on the Nets.

Klay Thompson is recovering from a torn left ACL.

Andre Iguodala is on the Grizzlies (but not for long).

DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook are on the Lakers.

Shaun Livingston is a free agent after being waived.

Due to all of these moves and the addition of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the Clippers, the Warriors are no longer the betting favorites. Many other teams can call themselves legitimate title contenders.

As NBC NBA Insider Tom Haberstroh writes:

According to Westgate SuperBook’s latest odds, a whopping eight teams will be in that elite circle. The Clippers, Bucks, Lakers, Sixers, Warriors, Rockets, Jazz and Nuggets each have better than 20-1 (roughly five percent) odds to win the title, with the Celtics and Blazers just on the outside looking in.

“It is as open as we’ve seen in years,” said Jeff Sherman, Westgate SuperBook’s oddsmaker. “With the current landscape, we are receiving interest throughout the league.”

That wasn’t the case in recent years. During the Warriors’ reign, Sherman says their sportsbook received “minimal interest” in the next tier of teams. Not anymore. So far, the most money coming in has been on, duh, the Lakers and Clippers, with the Lakers ranking No. 1 in ticket count and total money wagered, according to Sherman. But the oddsmaker says they’re seeing solid support for about a half-dozen other teams, a rarity in the superteam era.


Meanwhile, some people think the Warriors will either struggle to make the playoffs or miss the postseason altogether.

If Golden State somehow reaches the NBA Finals for the sixth straight season, it would be more impressive than winning back-to-back championships.

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Klay Thompson proclaims Warriors' dynasty isn't dead, 'far from over'



All the national pundits and talking heads have danced on the grave of the Warriors' dynasty.

With Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston gone, and Klay Thompson out for a large portion of the upcoming season, most feel like the Warriors' reign of dominance is over.

But Thompson isn't listening to the noise. The Warriors might be down, but they aren't out.

"The dynasty ain't over," Klay said Friday during the second annual Thompson Family Foundation golf tournament in Newport Beach, Calif. "It's far from over."

After five season atop the NBA mountain, the Warriors are no longer the favorites to win the NBA title, and will look vastly different this season.

At the beginning of the season, Steph Curry and Draymond Green will be flanked by newcomers D'Angelo Russell and Willie Cauley-Stein. Instead of Durant at the starting small forward spot, coach Steve Kerr might go with Alfonzo McKinnie.

Super Death Lineup this is not.

Making matters tougher for the Warriors is the improvement of other teams in the Western Conference. The Clippers, Lakers, Jazz and Rockets all made blockbuster moves over the summer, while the Nuggets and Blazers return teams that were top-4 seeds in the West last season.

But once Thompson returns in February or March, the Warriors will be able to close games with a lineup of Curry, Thompson, Russell, Green and Kevon Looney, who signed a three-year contract with the Warriors in the offseason.

[RELATED: Eight things Warriors need to do to make playoffs]

As Green said last week, no one will want to face the Warriors in the playoffs. That will be especially true if Thompson is 100 percent in April.

Durant isn't around anymore, but the dynasty isn't dead until Curry, Thompson and Green say it is.

Magic Johnson can't believe Kevin Durant wasn't happy with Warriors

Magic Johnson can't believe Kevin Durant wasn't happy with Warriors

Kevin Durant came to the Warriors in 2016 in pursuit of a family and NBA titles.

Durant got the hardware in his first two seasons with the Warriors.

Despite all the winning the Warriors were able to do with Durant, he never quite felt like he was part of a family. It's quite possible that had something to do with the fact that he refused to commit long-term to the Warriors. It's hard for a family to accept you when you have one foot in the house and the other on the front porch.

After three seasons in the Bay Area, Durant left this offseason for the Brooklyn Nets, and he revealed to the Wall Street Jounal last week that he never felt like one of the guys.

NBA legend Magic Johnson can't begin to fathom Durant's logic.

"KD, I hope that he finds happiness," Johnson said on ESPN's First Take on Friday. "If you can't find happiness at Golden State, where are you going to find it at? First of all, give Steph Curry a lot of credit for saying 'I'm a two-time MVP, I'm willing to take a backseat because I want to win.' Give Klay Thompson a lot of credit, because you know who's game suffered the most? Klay Thompson. He used to get a lot more touches before KD got there and he said 'I'm OK with that as long as we win a championship.' Draymond Green, even he had to take a backseat.

"So, Kevin, if you won back-to-back titles, you won MVP of the Finals as well, where are you going to find happiness at? I just want him to find happiness because when I look at Michael Jordan, when I look at Kobe Bryant, this brother, Kevin Durant, is one of the greatest scorers we've seen in NBA history, so I just want him to be happy. I just don't know where he's going to find it at if he can't find it at Golden State."

We imagine every single Warriors fan feels the same way as Magic.

[RELATED: Durant shows no sign of limp]

Unlike Thunder fans, Warriors fans don't hold any ill will towards Durant. They're just puzzled by his decision to leave. He had everything he wanted in the Bay Area and Golden State could have offered more money. Yet he still decided to leave.

But maybe Durant will never be happy in the same spot for too long. It's possible that in three years, Brooklyn fans find themselves wondering why Durant wasn't happy, just like Warriors fans are right now.