The Celtics will return All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to a team that was a win away from reaching the NBA Finals.
The Philadelphia 76ers are slightly more favored to win the NBA title next season than the Celtics, according to odds released by the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
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Why? Oddsmaker figure the Sixers, who lost to the Celtics in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, might have LeBron James in their frontcourt.
Here's what Westgate SuperBook oddsmaker John Murray told ESPN:
"When you have LeBron in free agency, you have to be careful. You've got Philadelphia, Miami, the Lakers and even Houston as potential destinations [outside of Cleveland]. We cut all of those teams' odds down, and we'll raise back up the teams he doesn't sign with."
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And if LeBron goes West (hence the Lakers' position in their odds), Westgate will drop the Sixers back behind the Celtics in their odds.
