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Uneventful trade deadline yields minimal movement in NBA betting markets

The NBA betting market status quo remains unchanged after one of the quietest trading deadlines in recent memory.

The NBA’s major contenders mostly laid low last week, seemingly content with their current roster construction or unwilling to pay up for a three-month rental to chase a title that some say only a handful of teams have a chance of winning this season.

Cleveland picked up a potentially useful Channing Frye, and Tobias Harris could help Detroit down the road, but these aren’t the types of moves many were expecting nor the type that excite bettors.

“I don’t remember one that was this quiet,” said Jeff Sherman, assistant manager of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. “I’ve never seen it at this point in the season be such a foregone conclusion.

“The largest trade out there was Jeff Green going to the Clippers, which didn’t affect any odds. There was no shift in any odds based on what happened with any trades out there.”

Golden State, which became the fastest team to 50 wins in NBA history on Monday night, remains the odds-on favorite at 4/5, followed by Cleveland at 5/2, San Antonio at 4/1 and Oklahoma City at 14/1.

Nobody else stands much of a chance, Sherman says, which could be part of the reason teams chose to stand pat at the deadline. The Celtics, currently fighting for third in the East and listed at 40/1 to win the title, make a nice example.

“They could easily, with everything going on in the East, be the second-best team there,” Sherman said. “So in their minds, maybe they’re thinking they’re not that far away, and I’d heard they were thinking about making some big moves. But at the same time, they have all these assets going forward (including a lottery pick from the Nets), and it wouldn’t have made sense to get somebody that’s a rental with the team that they have, the coach that they have and everything they have going forward.”

There’s also a looming increase in the salary cap playing a role in teams’ decision-making, but the juggernaut that is Golden State is the league’s 800-pound gorilla for 2015-16.

The Warriors continue to exceed expectations, and following an update Tuesday, they’re getting even odds at Westgate in their chase to break the 1996 Bulls record of 72 regular-season wins.

“Basically, it moves a little with their wins and it moves a lot anytime they get a loss, obviously because of how magnified that is in relation to what they’re doing,” Sherman said. “Right around this pick ‘em price, we’re getting a ton of action on it.”

Betting is slower in the East, where Cleveland is a 1/6 favorite.

“We’ve gotten money on Toronto (8/1), we’ve gotten some money on Boston (17/1), but that’s about it,” Sherman said. “There’s some on the Bulls (20/1), but the Bulls look like they’re headed for a lost season. If things fell just right, maybe Toronto or Boston could do something, I just don’t see it.”

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