NBA free agents play havoc with betting markets

NBA free agency has barely started but three big names are already hitting social media hard.

Paul George, Trevor Ariza and DeMarcus Cousins were all over Twitter on Saturday night, adding fuel to the rumour mills and altering betting markets.

George, who played last season with the OKC Thunder appeared at a Russell Westbrook party on Saturday night, caught on video saying, “I’m here to stay. We can bring it home.”

If “it” refers to an NBA title, then oddsmakers and bettors remain unconvinced. The Thunder remain +6900 long-shots in NBA Ante Post with Bovada. Currently, George is without a deal and remains a free agent.

Former Houston forward Trevor Ariza became the first player to sign with a new team when the window opened. Ariza signed a one-year deal worth $15 million to play for the Phoenix Suns, which just selected Deandre Ayton as the number one pick in last week’s NBA Draft.

The Suns, after a terrible season in 2017/18, are currently +12400 with Bovada. However, Ariza is a decent addition on a team with some young scoring punch and Phoenix will expect to make some decent gains this season.

DeMarcus Cousins was another big NBA name that found himself all over the headlines over the weekend. Marc J. Spears of ESPN tweeted that Cousins received calls from the Pelicans and the Lakers, chasing the big man’s signature. They are +6000 and +500 in Bovada‘s NBA futures respectively.

Cousins suffered an achilles injury last season while playing for the Pelicans. Had he been healthy, who knows if New Orleans would have been more competitive than the conference semifinal team they were.

But the Lakers making some buzz is further fuel to the fire that they will try to contend next season. They remain in the LeBron James free-agency mix as well and all roads point to spending on talent for the franchise.