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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: Kyrie Irving of Brooklyn Nets warms up before NBA playoffs between Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn of New York City, United States on April 25, 2022. Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency (Photo by Tayfun Coskun / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP)

Should the Los Angeles Lakers still be -400 favorites to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets via trade? This article analyzes the odds posted by DraftKings Sportsbook regarding where Irving will play next season.

Shams Charania of The Athletic recently stated on the Pat McAfee Show that he does not necessarily believe that a deal will be reached between the Lakers and Nets for Irving. Since Irving has been a heavy favorite to be acquired by the Lakers via trade with the Nets for several days, this poses some serious betting implications.

https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1544359371047444481

Since Irving does not have a no-trade clause and the Nets may essentially trade him anywhere, should we start considering some longshot bets? What is to say that a surprise suitor will not step forward and offer a deal the Nets can't refuse?

Odds to Acquire Kyrie Irving

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/fsPi4/1/

Picks to Trade for Irving

Timberwolves (+1800)

As a result of their trade with the Utah Jazz for center Rudy Gobert, it is clear that the Minnesota Timberwolves are committed to winning an NBA Championship. Despite everyone's criticism of their trade, what if they were able to add Irving?

Early in the offseason, there were rumors that the Timberwolves were interested in trading point guard D'Angelo Russell and he would make an ideal trade chip in a potential Irving deal. As well as having a salary comparable to Irving's, he also has a contract that expires at the end of the 2022-23 season.

An elite talent such as Irving would be worth the risk for a Timberwolves franchise that will have very few opportunities to build a championship team. I would rather bet on the Timberwolves taking a risk on Irving at +1800 than on teams such as the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks at +1500.

Hornets (+4000)

Despite being the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan has never been able to recruit a superstar player to the Charlotte Hornets. Given Irving's desire to leave Brooklyn and the Nets' inability to find a trade partner, this might be Jordan's best opportunity.

What is the rationale behind the Hornets' possible motivation? For one, they have a contract in Gordon Hayward that could match Irving's. Irving has a 2022-23 player option for $36.5 millions, while Hayward is scheduled to earn $30.1 million.

Aside from having a contract they would be more than willing to part with, the Hornets had expected to spend a significant amount of money on restricted free agent Miles Bridges, but that no longer appears to be the case due to legal issues.

https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1543295138100756480

These opportunities to land a star will not be available to Jordan and the Hornets very often, so I would not be surprised if they tried to hit a home run here. The +4000 price point makes this bet even more appealing.

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