Earlier in the week, Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic saw their MVP odds improve. In the most recent update, KD and Jokic are both +700 odds. Jokic nearly averages a triple-double with 25.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game. It’s a stretch for Harden to win MVP, especially with the greatness of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving surrounding him, but the Nets are 11-1 against teams over.500. With Harden firing on all.

Just two days after winning his fourth NBA title while declaring, “I want my respect,” LeBron James was listed as the seventh most likely winner of next season’s MVP award.

The race to be first with MVP odds was won by PointsBet, which has back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo the favorite at +350. Giannis is followed by Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks +450, Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors (+600), Anthony Davis of the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers (+700) and James Harden of the Houston Rockets (+700).

Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers has the same odds as LeBron at +900.

No player has won three consecutive MVP awards since Larry Bird from 1984-86, so Antetokounmpo would be in rare company if he was to win it next season for a Bucks team that underperformed in the playoffs and could trade Eric Bledsoe and/or Khris Middleton.

2021 NBA MVP odds

No love for LeBron

James has won the award four times, most recently in 2012-13 when he was a member of the Miami Heat. He was the only player aside from Antetokounmpo to receive first place votes in the most recent balloting, and anyone who watched the NBA Finals gained a greater appreciation for just how great this freak of nature is. The Lakers will retain their core for next season, so James will be back with virtually the same team that just brought Los Angeles a championship for the first time in a decade.

So the placement of him as the seventh choice is curious.

“For James, part of the problem is his success in the playoffs, and what he wants to do is make the playoffs and turn it up from there, whereas Davis should be more motivated to produce in the regular season and put up better numbers,” said Andrew Mannino, Director of Risk Management at PointsBet. “It’s not that we don’t think he has a shot at it. He clearly does. But when you look at guys like Giannis, Curry and Luka, they are in a spot to stand out more and accumulate numbers, and those monster stat lines will put them in a stronger position with voters.”

Beasts of the East

Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets is one spot below James/Leonard at +1200, and when he returns it will be the first time he has played since tearing his Achilles tendon during the 2019 NBA Finals. Durant and Kyrie Irving (on the board at +5000) are part of a Nets team that is favored by some sites in the legalized US sports gambling market to win the Eastern Conference.

Still, nobody yet knows when exactly the next NBA season will begin, and what changes might come to different teams through trades and free agency. The players on PointBet’s list include two members of the Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (+2000) and Ben Simmons (+10000), who could be traded if 76ers ownership believes it is time for the franchise to move forward without them paired together under incoming coach Doc Rivers.

“We have to book the lines with where they are now,” Mannino said. “Trades are speculation, and the lines on Embiid and Simmons are a reflection of what we think will be a stronger Eastern Conference, especially with a resurgent Brooklyn team. It gives them a taller ladder to climb.”

Longshots

The only other former MVP on the board that was not mentioned above is Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets at +10000. Still to be determined is who will be the coach in Houston after Mike D’Antoni‘s contract expired. Tyronn Lue and Jeff Van Gundy are the leading contenders, ESPN reported today.

Other players on the board with uncertain futures with their current teams include Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder at +15000 and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors at +25000 – the same odds as incoming rookie LaMelo Ball – who has not even been drafted yet.

“[Ball] is an outsider for sure, but the opportunity is there for him because of the talent and because of the name. He resonates with people,” Mannino said.

Other players with long odds include Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets at +8000, Zion Williamson of the Pelicans at +10000 and Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers at +10000. Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, who just put on a show in the NBA playoffs, is +6000.

Betting on the spread or total of an All-Star Game is always pretty speculative, but in contrast, the MVP Odds for this year’s NBA All-Star Game have some enticing NBA Odds that may be worth a wager. There is some value in these four guys.

Luka Doncic (+750)

Among the multitude of players who will have the ball in their hands from Team LeBron, no one has more upside to his game than Luka Doncic in this one.

Granted, the guy below him here might be a great play too because he has some things to prove and a lot of upsides when it comes to getting to the cup, but this is Doncic’s chance to make some people forget that his team isn’t playing up to expectations yet this year.

Doncic played for Team LeBron last year, but he had a forgettable 8-point, 3-for-6 performance. This year his team isn’t the Western Conference title contender we had been promised and other teams in the West are getting the shine. A 30-point triple-double in the All-Star Game would at the very least give the Mavs some much-needed media attention heading into the second half.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (+900)

Speaking of not playing up to expectations, the Bucks aren’t playing as well as last year prior to the shutdown and they also have a couple of legit Eastern Conference contenders in the Nets and Sixers, who are taking some of the spotlights off Milwaukee.

Durant Mvp Odds Today

Giannis Antetokounmpo played well in this game last year. With no one willing to challenge him at the rim in this game, he is going to get a ton of easy baskets and probably a ton of rebounds and assists as well.

If there is one player with who I could endorse an outright fade of Doncic, it’s his teammate Antetkoumpo. However, a play on both would still give you a great profit margin if they were to win the award. Both could have huge games.

Donovan Mitchell (+1400)

You can shop around the best sports betting sites and probably find a better line on Donovan Mitchell to win MVP, but someone unexpected will have to come out of nowhere if Team Durant wants the win here, and no one should be more motivated after that player draft than Mitchell.

The Utah Jazz are legit contenders this season, and Mitchell should have a chip on his shoulder coming in. Mitchell could say screw it and not stop shooting until his team wins and he takes home the MVP.

It would be foolish to write off a motivated player like Mitchell who can go for 40 points in a regular game, let alone an exhibition that won’t have much defense until the end.

Kyrie Irving (+1800)

Durant Mvp Odds Vegas

Among the other players who might show-out on Team Durant, Kyrie Irving has to be atop that list. This line is pretty disrespectful to his shooting abilities and where he’ll rank on the usage of Team Durant.

It would only take a Team Durant win and a 30-point line from Irving to win MVP, and that is surely more likely than the 18:1 odds we’re looking at.

There’s a lot of shooters on Team Durant that could get hot and take over this game, but without Kevin Durant actually playing, his Nets teammate is being undervalued here to win MVP.

All the odds were taken from BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)