The Toronto Raptors are tied for the second-best odds on winning the another NBA Title in 2020.
Top online betting outlets like Bovada Sportbook have the Raps at +700 to win it all. This is tied with the Milwaukee Bucks and behind the Los Angeles Lakers who are at +350.
But what will the odds be after the free agency feeding frenzy starts on January 30th?
Let’s look at possible trades around Toronto and a few big rumors outside of THE 6.
Kah Wine and Dine?
There isn’t much more the city of Toronto can do to retain Kahwi Leonard. And when I say the city, I mean the town of Toronto, not just the Raptors franchise. After a wholehearted effort to court the star player to hang around Toronto’s hardwood, Leonard declined his $21,300,000.00 and it’s still very much up in the air as to whether he’ll stay or head off to the Land of Sunshine and Superficiality.
That said, he is allowing the Raptors to put on the final presentation out of all of the teams meeting with him in L.A. roughly a week from now. This is a pretty good sign; we just have to hope that the lure of his home town isn’t too much to overcome. He’s scheduled to meet with both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. From our perspective, if he doesn’t land in Toronto, it doesn’t really matter if he becomes a Laker or a Clipper. That said, after all the Lakers have dropped on moving Anthony Davis over, I’m not sure if they can offer Leonard the long term deal that he’s after.
The New York Knicks will have more cap space in the history of cap space for offseason moves. They are another team that is reportedly setting up meetings with Kawhi. That said, the Knicks seem to think that they’ll be able to flash enough cash to grab not only Kawhi, but Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving. If that happens, we would see the Knickerbockers shoot towards the top as a championship favorite.
Still, he seems set to go West. If he doesn’t stick with the Raps, given the Lakers cap space, the Clips seem the most likely scenario at the moment, which would put them into instant contention if they could snag Jimmy Butler as well.
Marc Gasol accepted his $25.6 million player option to remain another year in Toronto. So this really only leaves Danny Green in question … who may also be courted by the Lakers. But they also seem to be gunning after Seth Curry, and Terrence Ross. So, it’s hard to say if they will take one or the other or go for a combination of smooth-shooting guards. After all, they seem to think that De’ Angelo Russell would be a good replacement for Lonzo Ball. So, you have to wonder about how badly the Raptors want to retain Green or will a squad like the Lakers outdo them in their recruiting efforts. It seems that unlike Leonard, Green actually shows some genuine interest in staying in Toronto.
