NBA Finals 2019 Odds: Kawhi Leonard Makes Toronto Raptors Legitimate Contenders In East

The Toronto Raptors took a risk by trading for Kawhi Leonard in hopes that they could compete for a title. If the latest odds mean anything, the team has positioned themselves to make a run toward the 2019 NBA Finals.

After sending DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Toronto has seen their championship odds improve from 60/1 to 20/1 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. The Boston Celtics remain the heavy favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The Philadelphia 76ers are considered their biggest competition, though Leonard’s presence in the conference makes life more difficult for Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

The Golden State Warriors remain the odds-on favorites to win the 2019 NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers saw their title odds slightly improve, perhaps because Leonard didn’t go to a team that was previously considered a legitimate championship threat.

Toronto wasn’t viewed as a serious title contender before the Leonard trade, even though they are coming off their best regular-season in franchise history. The team led the East with a 59-23 record before being bounced in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The tandem of DeRozan and Kyle Lowry put together several strong regular seasons but always came up short in the playoffs. The Raptors didn’t bring back head coach Dwane Casey, and they eyed another change when Leonard became available.

It’d be a stretch to say that Toronto has a chance to dethrone Golden State. Boston and the Houston Rockets might be the only teams with enough talent to challenge Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and three other All-Stars.

Winning the conference, though, is an attainable goal for Toronto, especially now that LeBron James is in the West. Not only have the Raptors improved a roster that was last year’s No.1 seed, but they’ve got the best player in the entire conference.

After playing only nine games in 2017-2018, it’s easy to forget just how good Leonard is when healthy. He followed up winning the 2014 NBA Finals MVP award with two straight Defensive Player of the Year nods. Leonard was an All-NBA First-Team selection in 2016 and 2017, finishing second and third, respectively, in MVP voting. Leonard played at such a high level in the 2017 playoffs that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich called him the best player in the league.

Lowry is arguably a better overall player than DeRozan, who garnered MVP buzz for a short period of time last season. Toronto’s point guard has been selected to four straight All-Star teams, and it was Lowry that almost helped the Raptors steal Game 3 of their playoff series with Cleveland as DeRozan watched from the bench for the entire fourth quarter.

The Spurs saw their odds plummet with the Leonard trade, though they should be improved from last year when their best player missed almost the entire season. San Antonio won 47 regular-season games and was beaten by Golden State in the first round.