Luka, Schmuka.
Heading into the February 6th NBA trade deadline, the Celtics were coming off a road-heavy January with a 12-6 record — not exactly inspiring stuff from the defending champs. Couple that with a handful of troubling losses at TD Garden and the Boston faithful were a little restless with the listless stretch.
Brad Stevens and the front office weren’t expected to make any big moves, instead opting to send Jayden Springer to the Rockets as a cost-cutting move to save on their luxury tax bill and eventually signing Torrey Craig to re-fortify their wing depth. Despite their lackluster play, the team seemed confident that they would right the ship.
FanDuel agreed.
Before the landscape-changing trades that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers and De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs on February 2nd, the Celtics were still the odds-on favorite on FanDuel to hoist another Larry O’Brien trophy at +210 with the rising Oklahoma City Thunder (+230) and Cleveland Cavaliers (+850) behind them.
Then, after the trade deadline passed with notably Kyle Kuzma replacing Khris Middleton in Milwaukee, Jimmy Butler (finally) joining Steph Curry and Draymond Green on the Warriors, Bogdan Bogdanovich joining the Clippers, and Cleveland adding a big wing defender in DeAndre Hunter, the league and contending teams reset their expectations.
However, not much changed at the top of FanDuel’s betting board. After a 26-point comeback in Philly on February 2nd and a convincing win against the Cavaliers two days later, the player movement at the deadline only strengthened Boston’s stranglehold with the Celtics at +195 and the Thunder and Cavaliers holding steading at +230 and +850.
At the time of this publishing, those numbers have skewed even closer to a Celtics-Thunder Finals with Boston at +175 and OKC at +200 to win a chip. Regular season success doesn’t always translate to postseason wins, but matchups against the conference’s best can give you some valuable insight on just how those head-to-heads might play out. With a 2-1 record against the Cavaliers, a sweep of the Bucks, and two blowouts over the Knicks, the Celtics seem poised to take the East.
And this was always the plan. Over the summer, Stevens took the opportunity to lock in this championship roster by re-signing Jrue Holiday (in April, prior to the playoff run), Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, and Xavier Tillman. And while there have been rough patches to the 2024-2025 regular season, that commitment to consistency has been rewarded not just in betting odds, but on the floor, too. The Celtics are winners of seven of their last eight and are currently the only team in the top-5 in offensive and defensive efficiency after 55 games. Jayson Tatum is on a tear and with a seven-game homestand on the horizon, Boston could even regain the top spot in the Eastern Conference.