Following the Golden State Warriors championship win Tuesday night, thoughts have moved on to the upcoming 2015-16 NBA season and which teams will be competing for next season’s title.
— Have you seen the ‘Lakers Nation’ phone case? —
Although the NBA Draft and free agency has yet to take place, betting website Bovada released their opening odds for next season and have the Los Angeles Lakers near the middle of the pack with 66 to 1 odds, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
So, it seems hardly surprising that gambling website, Bovada, pinned the Lakers with 66/1 odds to win the 2016 NBA title. The favorites still rested on Cleveland (3/1), Golden State (5/1), Oklahoma City (7/1), Chicago (10/1), the Clippers (10/1) and San Antonio (10/1).
Despite finishing with their worst record in franchise history, optimism still surrounds the Lakers as they prepare for the summer. The team won the No. 2 pick during the draft lottery and could be adding Duke center Jahlil Okafor to their roster. Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Kristaps Porzingis all remain options for the Lakers as well with their draft pick.
In addition, the Lakers will be bolstered by the returns of Kobe Bryant and last year’s lottery pick Julius Randle. While there may be some questions surrounding what Bryant has left in his tank entering his 20th season, the Lakers are banking on Randle’s potential. He briefly showed it during last season’s summer league and preseason before he missed the regular season with fractured tibia.
Free agency is also an option for the Lakers who have the cap space available to bring in superstar talent. While the Lakers will figure out their free agent plans after they make their draft selections, speculation has been rampant on whom the Lakers could bring in. The latest has Jimmy Butler reportedly interested in signing an offer sheet and the Lakers being a in the running forLaMarcus Aldridge.
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