Sections

Advertisement

Kyrie Irving's trade request is incredible news for Cleveland Cavaliers bettors

It’s been a little while since Kyrie Irving was in the news for basketball reasons and oh boy did he fix that in a big way on Friday.

Less than a week before the NBA trade deadline, Irving threw himself onto the market by demanding out of Brooklyn. The most recent plot twist comes as Irving tried, and seemingly failed, to negotiate an extension with the Nets and pretty much brings an end to New York City’s latest attempt to secure a title via Super Team.

While that’s good news for pretty much every team in the Eastern Conference, there’s one group in particular who should be celebrating a bit harder right now: Cleveland Cavaliers bettors.

As of January 31, the Cavs were the biggest liability to win the East at BetMGM and their odds to do so are only getting better after Irving’s request.

That the Cavs were a popular pick to win the East after trading for Donovan Mitchell isn’t surprising. But the Nets potentially losing one of their more dominant stars at this point in the year changes the equation quite a bit.

Not only does it weaken a supposed powerhouse team in the East, it might just help Cleveland secure homecourt advantage in the postseason.

Entering Friday the Cavs were a half-game back of the Nets for the No. 4 seed in the East. The latest turmoil in Brooklyn is the perfect opportunity for Cleveland to overtake the Nets in the standings.

The Cavs already have the easiest schedule remaining in the NBA, per Tankathon, while Brooklyn has the sixth-toughest slate left. A downgrade from Irving in the lineup will certainly make things harder.

Now Cleveland just has to find a way past the Celtics, Sixers and Bucks to cash those tickets.

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.

More BetFTW