LeBron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers definitely took the sporting world by storm on Sunday evening. James' move has fans in LA ecstatic, while basketball fans in Ohio feel like they have seen this movie before. James' decision to once again walk away from the Cavaliers also had a huge effect in sportsbooks across the country as the odds to win the 2019 NBA title have shifted greatly! It seems the betting public is ready to crown the Lakers as one of, if not the team to beat in the Western Conference this season - even months before James has donned a Lakers jersey on the court.

Lakers now among favorites

The old expression “one man doesn't make a team” is usually the truth, however, after the news broke that LeBron James was opting out of his deal to officially become a free agent and head west to play for the LA Lakers, Vegas sportsbooks obviously believe otherwise.

Bleacher Report indicates that the Lakers instantly jumped from 20/1 underdogs to 7/2 favorites to win the NBA crown in 2019 once it was announced that James will sign a four-year deal with LA.

According to OddsShark, the defending champion Golden State Warriors are still listed as the team to beat at -110, which is basically even money, as summer camps begin to open. However, the Lakers jump from 20/1, or +2000 to 7/2 odds is something that speaks volumes.

The big change makes LA the second overall favorite in the NBA to win the 2019 NBA championship. At 7/2, or +350, the Lakers joined the Celtics as the Vegas favorites to give the Warriors all they can handle next season.

For Cleveland on the other hand, the story is the polar opposite.

Cavs go from first to worst

So Lebron has done it again! For the second time in his career, James has bolted from his hometown team to play for another. It will be very interesting to see how fans will react to their native son when he returns once again as the enemy.

Now the big question is, can the Cavs contend without James? If you are going by Vegas oddsmakers, that answer is a resounding "No!"

When news broke that James will head to LA, the Cavs odds to win the 2019 NBA championship went from 30/1 to a whopping 500/1. Only the Atlanta Hawks have worse odds to win the title next season at 1000/1.

The jump for the Lakers seems a bit premature. As the Lakers roster stands right now, this team could never beat Golden State. Nevertheless, Vegas sportsbooks are still siding with them as the second overall team in the NBA to capture the crown next season. Why? Well most likely because this is just the first of several big moves the Lakers will reportedly make this offseason.

One has to think that James knows that LA is going to pursue players like Kawhi Leonard or DeMarcus Cousins.
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