As the 2025 NBA Playoffs get underway, one team has got everyone’s attention – and their wallets – and that’s the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite finishing the regular season 50-32, the Lakers are the most popular NBA title bet at every sportsbook. But this surge in betting isn’t just about LeBron or the Lakers franchise – it’s all because of the Luka Dončić trade.
A Betting Powerhouse Even Before Luka
For years, the Lakers have been a staple of NBA betting, like the Yankees in baseball or the Cowboys in football. They have a global fan base and star power so they’re always a top choice for bettors. But according to Hal Egeland, trading strategy manager at BetMGM, the Luka Dončić trade created a “perfect storm” of excitement.
Before, the trade the Lakers were long shots to win the championship, opening at +2500 and going as high as +4000. But as soon as the trade was announced on February 2 the Lakers odds dropped to +1800 and a $100,000 bet at +1000 sent them to +700 before settling at +1100 today.
Now only the Oklahoma City Thunder (+175), Boston Celtics (+220) and Cleveland Cavaliers (+600) are ahead of the Lakers in the betting market. At BetMGM, the Lakers make up 15.9% of all bets and 15.4% of the money wagered on the NBA championship. Same story at other books, ESPN BET has the Lakers 17% of bets and 19.5% of the money.
Before and After Luka Trade
To put the magnitude of this shift into perspective, consider the data from Pikkit, an app that tracks sports betting activity. From June 18 to February 1—the period before the Dončić trade—the Lakers were 6th in both bets (3%) and money (2%) on NBA title futures.
But after February 2? The numbers went through the roof. Over the next 10+ weeks the Lakers took 30% of all bets and 35% of all money tracked by Pikkit. In fact more bets have been placed on the Lakers since the trade than any other team has received in the entire 10 months the market has been open.
Johnny Avello, race and sports operations director at DraftKings, said this: “Whenever a big player joins a new team we see immediate action on that team. It happens across all sports. When Juan Soto joined the Mets we saw a surge in bets on them. The Luka trade was even bigger because it was everywhere.”
Lakers Dominate Across the Board
The Luka effect goes beyond just title futures. Hard Rock Bet reported that since the trade, bets on Lakers games have increased by 66.7% compared to when Anthony Davis was on the roster. The Lakers are now the overwhelming favorite to win the West and the Lakers-Celtics is the most popular exacta bet for the NBA Finals.
Neil Walsh, Hard Rock Bet’s SVP-Sportsbook, said it best: “Luka to the Lakers changed everything. Since then we’ve seen huge action on the Lakers across the board and LA is now our most popular pick to win it all by any measure—and it’s not even close.”
Even in the first round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves the Lakers are dominating the betting action. Initially listed as -160 favorites, their odds shifted to -200 after 98% of the money came in on LA. According to Egeland, “this is easily the most lopsided action of any playoff series.”
Sportsbooks’ Worst Case Scenario
So much money is on the Lakers that sportsbooks are in a tough spot. “In terms of liability, it’s the Lakers and then everyone else,” said Adrian Horton, Director of North American Sports Trading at ESPN BET. “They were getting interest early, but since the Luka trade, nearly a third of all NBA champion money has been on LA.”
Christian Cipollini, BetMGM trading manager, said “The Lakers and Warriors are the biggest liabilities to win the NBA championship. So the sportsbook gets to root for the Thunder and Celtics, both favorites to win their conferences.”
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