The Los Angeles Clippers played with fire, Paul George walked and the Philadelphia 76ers have their path to an NBA championship firmly in front of them in 2025.
76ers general manager Darryl Morey convinced yet another superstar to move on from their current team, with Philadelphia now moving from 16/1 to +800 to win the NBA Finals on BetMGM.
George vaults the 76ers into a tie for the third-best odds to win the NBA Finals, leapfrogging four teams; they previously had the eighth-best odds in basketball to win the title.
A BetMGM spokesperson tells The Post that the 76ers are receiving tons of big-money support in this market, garnering the second-most money at 15.4 percent.
The only team that has received more money is the Oklahoma City Thunder, which has loads of draft capital to build a contender should a star become available and just added the Knicks’ Isaiah Hartenstein.
However, they are running out of players to cash in assets for.
New York recently completed a trade to land star two-way wing Mikal Bridges and complete the “Nova Knicks,” reuniting him with three of his former Villanova teammates.
After the deal, alongside the re-signing of defensive stalwart OG Anunoby, the Knicks moved from 18/1 to 10/1 and then +750 to win the NBA championship on FanDuel Sportsbook.
There has since been some buyback now that the 76ers have moved up the rankings, pushing New York back down to +900.
2024-25 NBA championship odds
| Team | NBA title odds |
|---|---|
| Celtics | +300 |
| Nuggets | +750 |
| 76ers | +800 |
| Thunder | +800 |
| Knicks | +900 |
| Timberwolves | +900 |
| Mavericks | +1100 |
| Bucks | +1300 |
George will be the running mate for the 76ers to an NBA title, as this is likely the final swing at a championship for the 76ers and star Joel Embiid.
Embiid has been in Philadelphia since he was taken No. 3 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Follow all the latest updates on NBA free agency, including signings, trades and rumors.
He was the headlining star alongside Ben Simmons until the guard flamed out spectacularly.
After missing free throws and being publicly called out by coach Doc Rivers, Simmons was then traded to the Nets for disgruntled star James Harden.
Betting on the NBA?
They flirted with a deep playoff run in 2023, losing to the Celtics in seven games after having a 3-2 lead.
When Harden again became unhappy with his situation, Morey was able to move off of him while maintaining salary cap flexibility, resulting in this move for George.
The 76ers also are extending emerging superstar Tyrese Maxey for five years.