Lakers Title Odds: Mark Williams-Dalton Knecht Trade Jumps Lakers in NBA Futures Market

Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Laker have won the NBA trade deadline -- at least in the eyes of oddsmakers.

Before dealing for Luka Doncic over the weekend, Los Angeles was +4500 to win the Finals this season. Now, after making the Doncic deal and a trade for center Mark Williams late on Wednesday night, the Lakers are all the way up to +1600 to win the title at DraftKings Sportsbook.

With Anthony Davis out of the picture because of the Doncic deal, the Lakers seemingly landed their big man of the future in Williams, trading away their 2031 first-round pick, rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets.

Just In: The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/QGUwETssGd
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025

Williams has been great this season when healthy, shooting nearly 60 percent from the field while averaging 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. He gives the Lakers an anchor down low, and the former first-round pick still has this season and next season left on his rookie deal.

Lakers NBA Championship Odds Movement

The Lakers have seen their NBA title odds shift in a big way over the last week.

After the Doncic deal, Los Angeles moved down from +4500 to +2000 -- good for the third-best odds of any Western Conference team behind only the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Then, the Lakers saw their odds continue to steam down, landing at +1800 following last night's deal for Williams. As of Thursday morning, the Lakers' odds have shifted again in their favor, falling to +1600 to win the title.

Clearly, oddsmakers are buying this roster with the Lakers sitting in the No. 5 spot in the West.

Adding Doncic -- who led Dallas to the Finals last season -- is obviously a huge move, but Williams now plugs the biggest hole on the Lakers' roster with Davis now in Dallas.

By trading both their 2029 and 2031 first-round picks, the Lakers are signaling that they are all-in to make the most of this season around LeBron James, and the future around Doncic.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

Are you new to DraftKings? Sign up today and place a $5 bet to earn a guaranteed $200 in bonus bets. Win or lose, DraftKings will issue eight $25 bonus bets instantly.