The Jimmy Butler trade may not be a monumental blow to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it sure helps the Philadelphia 76ers in terms of NBA Finals aspirations.
The Sixers' reported blockbuster deal, which is expected to be finalized Monday, has SportsLine projecting Philly to eclipse the 50-win mark for the second straight season thanks to Butler's arrival. And now, according to BetDSI's latest 2018-19 Finals odds, the 76ers are rising favorites to go the distance just for landing the Timberwolves' disgruntled star.
On Saturday morning, the 76ers had 22-to-1 odds (+2200) of winning it all. Now that the Butler deal has surfaced and subsequently ignited NBA Twitter, Philadelphia is at 15-to-1 (+1500) -- a jump into BetDSI's top five favorites.
The Golden State Warriors are still far and away front-runners to win it all, according to this week's projections, with -175 odds of claiming a third straight trophy. But acquiring Butler now has the Sixers in play just behind the Boston Celtics (+700), Toronto Raptors (+900) and Houston Rockets (+1000).
Butler is expected to make his 76ers debut on Wednesday when Philadelphia (8-6) takes on the Orlando Magic. His debut figures to precede a reshuffling of the Sixers' lineup, which stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid but is now down Dario Saric and Robert Covington, both of whom are headed to Minnesota as part of the trade.
