The Philadelphia 76ers have vastly improved their championship odds by acquiring James Harden for Ben Simmons and others at the 2022 NBA trade deadline. By acquiring the Brooklyn Nets’ second-best player, Philadelphia has started to close the gap between themselves and their division rival.

The 76ers’ odds to win the championship went from +1200 to +550 at BetMGM after landing Harden. The Nets’ odds to win the NBA Finals fell from +350 to +425 in the immediate aftermath of the trade.

Philadelphia’s title odds have settled at +675. Brooklyn moved to +400.

Harden and Paul Millsap are going to Philadelphia in the deal. Brooklyn gets Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Harden potentially gives Philadelphia the best one-two punch in the East. Joel Embiid is the NBA MVP favorite, leading the league with 29.4 points per game. Embiid is ninth in the NBA with 10.9 rebounds per game.

In Simmons’ absence, Curry has averaged a career-high 15 points per game. Curry is making 40% of his 3-pointers, providing the Nets with some much-needed outside shooting.

Brooklyn has been favored to win the title all season long. That remains the case, but their edge on the other top contenders has narrowed.

The Golden State Warriors (+450) have the NBA’s second-best championship odds, The Phoenix Suns (+500) are third with the best record in basketball. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks (+650) are just ahead of Philadelphia.

The 76ers now have much better odds than the Miami Heat (+1100). Miami is a half-game ahead of Milwaukee for the No. 1 seed in the East.

With a 32-22 record, Philadelphia is the No. 5 seed. The 76ers are 2.5 games behind the Heat.

The Nets are the No. 8 seed, trailing the No. 6 seed Toronto Raptors by 1.5 games. If the regular season ended at the trade deadline, Brooklyn would have to earn a playoff spot in the play-in tournament.

Brooklyn is running out of time to climb the standings. Kevin Durant continues to be sidelined with a knee injury, Kyrie Irving still can’t play in home games.

Simmons hasn’t played all season long and might not make his Nets’ debut for a few weeks.

Brooklyn star James Harden reacts during an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks
James Harden reacts during an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / Todd Kirkland
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