Prior to the NBA’s restart, the 76ers were among the most-wagered to win their first championship since 1983.
But things fell apart for the 76ers and their backers. Ben Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury, and Joel Embiid exited twice with injuries during the seeding games. The Sixers entered the playoffs as a No. 6 seed and were swept by the Boston Celtics.
In the upside-down world of 2020, the NBA’s offseason started when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat to win the NBA Championship … in mid-October.
PA online sportsbooks list the Sixers at +3000 to win the 2021 NBA Championship and +1200 to win the Eastern Conference.
With a start date set for the 2021 season and the NBA Draft coming up on Nov. 18, let’s take a look at what online sportsbooks have on the menu for the 76ers futures.
When will the 2021 NBA season start?
The NBA and the NBPA put the finishing touches on an agreement to start the 2020-2021 NBA season on December 22.
Key points about the 2021 NBA season:
- Each team will play 72 games.
- Negotiations with free agents will be allowed to begin at 6 p.m. EST on Nov. 20, with signings permitted starting at 12:01 p.m. EST on Nov. 22.
- The salary cap and tax level will remain unchanged.
- Details on team-by-team game schedules and fan attendance for 2020-21 will be released at a future date.
2020 NBA Draft betting
Betting on the NBA Draft is not permitted in Pennsylvania. However, New Jersey online sportsbooks have various betting markets for the draft.
NBA Draft props at DraftKings NJ
- First overall pick
- Player draft position
- Picks 2-9
- Picks 10-19
- Picks 20-29
- Top 10 specials
- Conference specials
- School specials
2020 NBA Draft markets at FanDuel NJ
- First overall pick, No. 2 pick, No. 3 pick, No. 4 pick, No. 8 pick
- Exact order of first four picks
- NBA Draft parlays
- Draft position
- Draft match bets
- Draft props
FanDuel NBA Draft betting splits
Reps from FanDuel say that LaMelo Ball (-210) is the sportsbook’s biggest liability in the No. 1 overall pick market. Ball accounts for 38% of the bet count. However, they said the top overall pick option for bettors is not a market for big wagers. The largest bet was $200 on Ball when he was listed at +420.
James Wiseman was the favorite when the 2020 NBA Draft betting option appeared at FanDuel in November 2019. Currently, he is +550, and Ball and Anthony Edwards have better odds to be taken first.
This year’s No. 1 pick has primarily been a three-player race. The trade rumors for the first two picks made FanDuel look at the Top 5 selections by FanDuel customers by bet count and handle:
Bet Count: Ball 38%, Edwards 18%, Wiseman 9%, Toppin 8%, Avdija 5%
Handle: Edwards 45%, Ball 40%, Wiseman 5%, Toppin 3%, Avdija 2%
As of Nov. 18 at noon at FanDuel, first pick odds were:
- Anthony Edwards: -260
- LaMelo Ball: +180
- James Wiseman: +600
Who do the sportsbooks think the Sixers will draft?
Perimeter scoring tops the list of Sixers needs. Newly hired president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and the Sixers are in “win now” mode. He’s known for making moves, and if he stays with pick No. 21, it will be a surprise. The former Houston Rockets GM hasn’t made a first-round pick since 2015. Instead, he trades them.
Philadelphia 76ers 2020 draft picks:
- Round 1: No. 21
- Round 2: No. 34, No. 36, No. 49, No. 58
It’s highly doubtful the Sixers will make five selections on Wednesday night. Early mock drafts had the Sixers selecting Cole Anthony, Tyrell Terry or Desmond Bane at pick 21. However, as of Wednesday morning, Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe (pictured, lead image) became the favorite to be selected at No. 21.
Pick 21 odds at DraftKings as of Nov. 16:
Pick 21 odds at DraftKings as of Nov. 18:
Sixers offseason changes
High expectations, a sputtering “process” and a quick exit from the bubble resulted in changes for the Sixers.
Head coach Brett Brown was fired after seven years and replaced by Doc Rivers. The front office got a revamp, too. The Sixers hired Daryl Morey as their new president of basketball operations. Peter Dinwiddie and Prosper Karangwa also joined the front office. Alex Rucker, the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations, was let go.
2021 NBA Betting
Current betting markets available at DraftKings online sportsbook in Pennsylvania for the upcoming 2021 season include:
- NBA Championship
- Conference Winner
- MVP Winner
- NBA Championship
2021 NBA Championship odds
76ers: +3000
Top five:
- Los Angeles Lakers: +350
- Los Angeles Clippers: +600
- Milwaukee Bucks: +600
- Golden State Warriors: +700
- Brooklyn Nets: +800
Eastern Conference winner
76ers odds: +1200
Top five:
- Milwaukee Bucks: +225
- Brooklyn Nets: +400
- Boston Celtics: +500
- Miami Heat: +550
- Toronto Raptors: +1000
Player Futures MVP winner
76ers odds:
- Joel Embiid: +4000
- Ben Simmons: +6000
- Tobias Harris: +25000
Top five:
- Luka Doncic: +450
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: +600
- Anthony Davis: +700
- LeBron James: +700
- Stephen Curry: +1000
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
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