NBA Draft odds: Andrew Wiggins top betting choice to go first overall
Andrew Wiggins is favored to be the top pick in the NBA draft. Joel Embiid and Jabari Parker are the other choices.
For the third time in four years the Cavaliers will have the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, and the oddsmakers at the sportsbooks have opened Kansas guard Andrew Wiggins as the favorite to be taken by Cleveland with that top selection.
Kansas’ Wiggins is the 2/3 favorite on those NBA Draft props right now, with Jayhawks center Joel Embiid next at 8/5 odds on that list, and Duke forward Jabari Parker set at 5/1 odds. The Field is then at 15/1 odds, with Australian guard Dante Exum in that second tier.
Cleveland also had the first overall pick in the NBA Draft last season when they selected UNLV forward Anthony Bennett -- who averaged just 4.2 points per game for the team this season. As well, the Cavaliers picked first in the 2011 draft when they selected Duke guard Kyrie Irving, who has become a star player for the team.
Cleveland’s previous first-overall pick came in the 2003 NBA Draft, when they selected forward LeBron James out of high school. His arrival certainly changed the city’s fortunes and his immense talent changed the way NBA fans approached sports betting.
The Milwaukee Bucks will pick second on June 26, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers again. The Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Phoenix Suns then round out the draft lottery with picks 11 through 14.
Arizona forward Aaron Gordon, Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart, Indiana forward Noah Vonleh, Creighton forward Doug McDermott, Syracuse guard Tyler Ennis, and Kentucky guard James Young are among the other players in contention to be taken in the Top 10.
Could the Cavaliers trade away the first overall pick? The sportsbooks figure that they’ll hold onto the selection, with the oddsmakers making the ‘No’ side the -300 favorite on that proposition wager. If Cleveland does trade the pick the ‘Yes’ side would pay out at +200 odds.
