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Bucks become NBA title favorites after trading for superstar Damian Lillard in three-team trade

The Milwaukee Bucks are the NBA title favorites after acquiring NBA superstar Damian Lillard in a three-team trade.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard holds the basketball against Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey on Monday, November 1, 2021 in Philadelphia.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard holds the basketball against Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey on Monday, November 1, 2021 in Philadelphia.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

The news shocked the NBA world on Wednesday afternoon: Seven-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard is joining the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal that includes the Portland Trailblazers and Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN.

Lillard joins two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton to give the Bucks one of the most formidable rosters in the Eastern Conference.

The Bucks have now become the favorites at most major sportsbooks — which should come as no surprise with two of the best players in the NBA joining forces — leapfrogging the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets. Milwaukee is valued as low as +360 at FanDuel.

Here’s an updated look at the NBA title odds with training camps for most NBA teams set to open next week.

» READ MORE: Here’s where the Sixers’ championship odds stand after the NBA’s 2023-24 schedule release

Odds are courtesy of FanDuel current at the time of publishing, and subject to change.

NBA championship odds (via FanDuel)

(teams listed with odds of 50/1 or better)

  1. Bucks: +360

  2. Celtics: +490

  3. Nuggets: +500

  4. Suns: +600

  5. Lakers: +1400

  6. Warriors: +1600

  7. 76ers: +2000

  8. Cavaliers: +2000

  9. Clippers: +2000

  10. Mavericks: +2700

  11. Heat: +2700

  12. Grizzlies: +3000

  13. Knicks: +3600

  14. Pelicans: +4700

  15. Kings: +5000

After the Bucks, the Celtics (+490) and Nuggets (+500) remain near the top of the odds to win the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the 76ers’ odds to win the championship grow longer, from 14/1 odds shortly after the NBA season ended to 20/1 odds in a matter of a few months. When James Harden initially requested a trade from Philly, those odds jumped to 17/1 at the end of June.

» READ MORE: NBA’s high-tech partnership with Sportradar could change the face of in-game betting, and soon

Now, just four teams have odds less than 10/1, with the Phoenix Suns, who reportedly traded away Deandre Ayton to the Trailblazers in the Lillard trade, while acquiring Keon Johnson, Jusef Nurkic, Nasir Little and Grayson Allen, valued at +600 to win the title.

The 76ers open the regular season with the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 26.