Biggest offseason trades: Good or bad choice?

Now that the 2017-18 NBA season is drawing near, the tides have turned as the biggest trades have recently been unveiled. For sure, this will not only upset the balance of power in the league, but it will also have a drastic effect on the world of online sports betting.

Paul George to OKC Thunder; Oladipo and Sabonis to Indiana Pacers

The biggest and most surprising trade this offseason is between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma Thunder, as Paul George teams up with Russell Westbrook. This went out as a big surprise as most people thought George to be transferring to either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the L.A. Lakers.

Now that Westbrook finally has a new all-star counterpart, the chance of them making their way to the Finals has just increased. This is also Westbrook’s opportunity to prove to his former teammate, Kevin Durant, that he can also have his slice of success without him.

George who’s averaging 23.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 3.3 APG, is a pretty good fit for the Thunder as the team needs an explosive player who can easily cut through defenses, power up through big men, and rain down three’s.

Paul George is a jack-of-all-trades kind-of-player, which is why he’s just what Westbrook needs. Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis are the ones exchanged to the Pacers.

Though they’re considered as “essential” players to the team, their stats aren’t that impressive. Oladipo averages 15.9 PPG while Sabonis gets 5.9 PPG. The two has 4.3 and 2.6 RPG respectively, which isn't that great considering that Victor is a shooting guard and Domantas being a forward.

With this trade, it’s pretty clear that the OKC Thunder just hit the jackpot.

Chris Paul to Houston Rockets; DeAndre Liggins, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Darrun Hilliard, Montrezl Harrell, and Kyle Wiltjer to the LA Clippers

James Harden, who’s currently one of the top 5 players in the league, has just found another all-star to pair up with. This is the first time he’ll play side-by-side a high-caliber player since he played with Russell Westbrook in OKC.

Now that Chris Paul has been traded to the Rockets, the road to the Conference Finals or even the Finals is much brighter for the team. Paul averages 18.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 9.2 APG.

He's one of the best point guards in the league together with Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry. Being best known for his out-of-this world dribbles and crossovers, as well as his on-point three's and mid jumpers, he sure is a great pick for the Rockets.

And that's what just James Harden needs – a legit support for his offensive type of play. Regarding the two's chemistry, it still isn't that clear because they're both known to have different play styles, Harden being more inclined to drive the ball into the paint while Paul being more of a passer and dribble-shooter.

But knowing the level of professionalism the two had, having eight years and 12 years of experience respectively, the two are most likely to be in-sync with each other in no time. The trade lost DeAndre Liggins, Patrick Beverley, and Lou Williams to the Clippers. Liggins who’s a guard average only 2.5 PPG and Patrick Beverley with only 9.5 PPG.

With this, it's quite good that the Rockets had them from the team. However, the situation with Lou Williams is different as he has a huge contribution to the team's overall success.

Williams averages 17.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 3.0 APG, which is a big loss to the Rockets. Aside from them, the team also had Sam Dekker, Darrun Hilliard, Montrezl Harrell, and Kyle Wiltjer off from the team.

The Rockets surely paid a huge price in acquiring Chris Paul. But it’s still a pretty good choice for them, knowing that James Harden now has a “partner in crime” in the games to come.

The Effects of the Trade to Online Betting

The current top-notchers in the online betting scene are still the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. The Cavs currently has odds of 3-1 and a +400 to +500 futures betting, while the Warriors are in the top spot with 1-2 odds and +100 to -160 futures betting.

This is because they battled it out in the previous NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the Pacers are down to a 100-1 odds while the OKC rose up to 60-1, thanks to the Thunder’s acquisition of Paul George.

Meanwhile, the Clippers and the Rockets go head-to-head as they are tie with 30-1 odds. However, Houston Rockets is in a much better spot when it comes to futures betting as they have a +2500 to +900 odds.

The Clippers, on the other hand, are down to a +3300 to +10000 futures betting odds. With this, one can see that the trades have a huge effect on the latest NBA betting odds.

This also shows that the teams that acquired the star players, Paul George and Chris Paul, gained the upper hand.