Warriors NBA Title Odds Take Major Hit After Losing Out on Paul George, Klay Thompson

The Golden State Warriors are falling rapidly in the odds to win the NBA Finals next season.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The supporting cast around Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry is going to look much different in the 2024-25 season, as Klay Thompson is not expected to return to the franchise.

According to Yahoo! Sports' Jake Fischer, Thompson is expected to decide between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks in free agency. It is likely Golden State will work out a sign-and-trade deal to move Thompson to the team of his choice.

Klay Thompson is expected to decide between the Mavericks and the Lakers, per @JakeLFischer

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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 1, 2024

Losing Thompson is a shocking blow after he and Curry spent their entire careers together in Golden State, but it comes after Thompson's game has fallen off since two season-ending injuries following the 2019 NBA Finals.

Thompson was benched by Golden State last season, and he infamously shot 0-for-10 from the field in the Warriors' play-in tournament loss to the Sacramento Kings last season -- what appears to have been his final game in a Warrior uniform.

In addition to the Klay news, the Warriors struck out out on a potential Paul George trade ahead of free agency, and the nine-time All-Star ended up signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.

“The Warriors had agreed to give George a max, four-year extension upon arrival," The Athletic's Tim Kawakami reported on Sunday. "They believed they had proposed several variations of a trade that the Clippers could and would accept. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were 100 percent on board. George gave strong indications he wanted to join the Warriors. But the Clippers never agreed to any version of a trade, and now George is a free agent and essentially beyond the Warriors’ reach.”

Golden State's roster has some massive questions now ahead of the 2024-25 season, and the team has seen its odds to win the title suffer in the process. The Warriors opened the offseason at +3000 to win the title next season, but that has moved to +4000 over the last two days.

NBA Finals Odds for 2024-25 Season

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

• Boston Celtics: +295
• Philadelphia 76ers: +800
• Denver Nuggets: +850
• Oklahoma City Thunder: +850
• New York Knicks: +950
• Minnesota Timberwolves: +1000
• Milwaukee Bucks: +1100
• Dallas Mavericks: +1100
• Los Angeles Lakers: +3000
• Phoenix Suns: +3500
• Miami Heat: +4000
• Cleveland Cavaliers: +4000
• Memphis Grizzlies: +4000
• Golden State Warriors: +4000
• Los Angeles Clippers: +5000
• New Orleans Pelicans: +5000
• Indiana Pacers: +6000
• Sacramento Kings: +7500
• Orlando Magic: +7500
• Houston Rockets: +13000
• San Antonio Spurs: +15000
• Atlanta Hawks: +40000
• Chicago Bulls: +80000
• Washington Wizards: +100000
• Utah Jazz: +100000
• Toronto Raptors: +100000
• Portland Trail Blazers: +100000
• Detroit Pistons: +100000
• Charlotte Hornets: +100000
• Brooklyn Nets: +100000

It's unclear if the Warriors have a trade or signing up their sleeve to improve this roster, but as it stands, it's hard to see Golden State making it out of the Western Conference -- maybe even making the playoffs -- with the current talent on the roster.

Depending on the possible sign-and-trade return from a possible Thompson deal, the Warriors' odds could move further down if they don't get any proven pieces to help Curry and Green in the 2024-25 campaign.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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