The Knicks’ Eastern Conference title odds jump after the NBA trade deadline

The Knicks and Giannis Antetokounmpo will have to wait until the summer for a potential union.

Instead of a blockbuster, Leon Rose chose to settle for a movie NBA The Knicks’ trade deadline and Eastern Conference odds increased marginally.

The Knicks still hold the second-shortest odds of reaching the NBA Finals at +340 across BetMGM After starting February at +350.

with Myles McBride’s return is in doubt due to major muscle surgerythe Knicks gained backup point guard depth by Trading for Jose Alvarado from New Orleans For Dalin Terry and two second-round picks on Thursday. Alvarado adds perimeter pressure and energy off the bench, which the Knicks have been missing in the second unit.

Alvarado was a target for the Knicks as they were also looking for a capable replacement for Jalen Brunson while Tyler Kulek served the role in McBride’s place.

Terry was one of the flipped assets the Knicks acquired in exchange for Gershon Yabusile on Wednesday. This relieved some of the Knicks’ cap space to accommodate his $4.5 million player option for next season.

The Knicks edged past the Cavaliers, who are now +340 favorites to win the East. Cleveland shifted into “win now” mode by replacing its supporting cast for Donovan Mitchell. They jettisoned three of their worst-performing regulars by net rating in Darius Garland, DeAndre Hunter and Lonzo Ball and added James Harden, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder.

Harden, 36, was acquired in exchange for Garland and a second-round pick. Despite his age, Harden has been healthier and more effective than Garland, putting up 25.4 points per game to Garland’s 18.

Cleveland holds a +500 mark heading into the deadline.

Betting on the NBA?

The East’s leading Pistons took a big hit on the spreadsheet, falling from +320 favorites to +360.

Detroit acquired sharpshooters Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric in a three-team trade with the Bulls and Timberwolves on Tuesday.

The Knicks remain five games behind the Pistons and tied for second with the Celtics while the Cavaliers are seven and a half games behind in fourth.

Why trust the New York Post to bet

Sean Tripidi breaks down the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. It focuses primarily on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.