The draft is over and the WNBA season for 2021 is about to get underway and that means WNBA future odds for the championship have been posted. So I have decided to breakdown the season long championship odds using the current odds listed as of April 16th on the DraftKings Sports book.
No Chance in Hell:
Indiana Fever +10000
Dallas Wings +6000
Atlanta Dream +6000
NY Liberty +5000
None of these teams have much of a chance. In the WNBA you need a Superstar to win a title and none of these teams have a Superstar. Betting on anyone of these is setting your money on fire. But if you must place one bet on these long shots put a couple bucks on the New York Liberty. It is not the craziest thing you could do. They added Natasha Howard in the off season and maybe Sabrina Ionescu is going to be the Michael Jordan of the WNBA,so sure, you can take a stab. But the fact is none of these teams have much of a chance.
Maybe…..but probably not
Minnesota Lynx +1600
The Lynx are an interesting bet. They have added Aerial Powers and Kayla McBride. Minnesota has a legit coach that has won titles before. Sylvia Fowles missed most of last year due to injury too and they were still a strong team. Napheesa Collier is entering her 3rd year. What if she becomes a SuperStar? I doubt they win the title but it would not be the craziest thing ever.
The Worst bets on the board
LA Sparks +500
Phoenix Mercury +1000
These odds are way way too low. The Sparks lost Candace Parker AND Chelsea Gray on a team that lost in the first round again. They added Amanda Zahuii and get Chiney Ogwumike; neither of those additions move the needle much at all. In short, a team with Brittany Sykes as their lead guard and Derek Fisher as coach isn’t going to win. Honestly, they would be an interesting bet to be the worst team in the league if that bet was allowed.
Phoenix – This is an older team that lost early in the playoffs the last two years. Dianna Taruasi is on the wrong side of 30. Brittany Griner basically quit on them last year. There were rumors of Phoenix looking to trade Griner. They have no depth either. This team has no shot at the title.
Could win but their odds are too low to be worth it
Seattle Storm +175
So Seattle could win the title and I would not be stunned. This is a well coached team lead by a legit superstar but…..
Seattle Storm have lost Natasha Howard and Alysha Clark which is gonna create a big hole on their defense. Sue Bird is on the wrong side of 40 and showed signs of regression last year. They have Breanna Stewart who is probably the best player in the league and that matters but they are counting on a lot of players to play main roles who have not before like Jordin Canada and Katie Lou Samuelson. Again they could win but with these questions at +175 it’s not worth the risk.
So who are you betting Smart Pants
Chicago Sky +1400
Washington Mystics +300
Las Vegas Aces +350
Chicago Sky at +1400 is way too high. This team should be swapped with the LA Sparks odds. This is a team that lost in the first round last year because their front court was just terrible. They added Candice Parker to help shore up that weakness. Sure, Parker is older but she is an improvement. What if Diamond DeShields bounces back from her knee injury? James Wade is a quality coach. They also might have the best point guard in the league in Courtney Vandersloot. Again, this team should be +500 not +1400. It’s just a good value.
So the Mystics and the Aces should both have lower odds than the Seattle Storm. The Mystics return Elenena Delle Donne, Tina Charles and Natasha Cloud. They are going to have issues on the wing and will need Aerial Atkins to take the next step. The loss of Alysha Clark takes them from heavy favorite. But this is a well coached team with one of the better front courts in the league.
Las Vegas Aces should be the no doubt favorite to win the WNBA title. They got to the championship series last year and their only loss off that team was Kayla McBride. They added Elizabeth Cambage, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray. This team should almost be even money to win the title and for some reason they are not.