The Portland Trail Blazers have been a risky bet in the Damian Lillard-era, and WynnBet agrees with that sentiment. Since drafting the future Hall-of-Famer, the team has won 56 percent of its games—practically a coin flip to outright win a single contest.
In WynnBet’s NBA ‘futures’ selection, they’ve listed the Blazers at +7500 to take home the 2021-2022 NBA Title. That leaves Portland tied for the 17th best odds to win it all. Frankly, that’s an insult and honestly kind of financially questionable by the oddsmakers.
Of course, as currently constructed, Damian Lillard and co. have a pretty slim chance of making it out of the West and bringing the ‘Larry O’ back to Rip City for the first time since 1977. But is it really slimmer than say the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, or Memphis Grizzlies prospects—who sit at +4000, +4000, and +6000 respectively?
The Portland Trail Blazers at +7500 to be NBA Champions is a good bet to take
Perhaps the team over at WynnBet is counting on Damian Lillard submitting his trade request before the deadline, sending the team into mediocrity purgatory. For the time being though, even from an outside perspective, the Blazers at +7500 is the most interesting bet on the docket.
The Brooklyn Nets are the current favorites at +225, with the Los Angeles Lakers close behind at +375. A few interesting dark-horses are the Golden State Warriors (+1000), Philadelphia 76ers (+1800), and the Miami Heat (+2200).
But if anyone’s looking for a possible underdog to make them rich, Portland is the horse to pick. After all, the team is three years removed from a Western Conference Finals appearance, has a legitimate top-10 player leading the charge, finished with the second-ranked offense in the league last year, deploys the fourth-most effective five-man lineup in all of NBA basketball, and could make you 75 bucks on the dollar.
Sure, if Lillard leaves the Blazers next season, the odds might as well skyrocket to +infinity, but there’s also a chance the team improves before the deadline.
If General Manager Neil Olshey can work some midseason magic, he could make a lot of people richer—himself included. If you’re going to bet an underdog, bet on the Blazers. After all, is it ever smart to bet against Lillard? At +7500, Portland could have a lot of risktakers quoting Dame D.O.L.L.A’s newest album next summer:
"My money up a hundred millionI know they respect the gains"