The Pick: UNDER 36.5 at odds of -120(bet365)
The Washington Wizards, who traded Rui Hachimura on Monday, have tipped their cards as to what they plan to do with their current season. The Wizards traded Hachimura, their fourth-leading scorer and one of their top players off of their bench, for draft picks and Kendrick Nunn.
Nunn is nowhere near a difference-maker in the NBA. In fact, Hachimura isn’t really noteworthy at this point, and yet you could argue that he’s a much player than Nunn right now.
The trade certainly isn’t a blockbuster deal but the Wizards can only be thinking about the future with what they negotiated. No one interested in competing right now would send away Hachimura in exchange for Nunn and second-round picks in the future. It’s clear that Washington is not interested in their present season.
As of Jan. 23/23, the Washington Wizards have a win total of 36.5 (bet365). This is a futures market in the NBA that bettors should be taking the UNDER on at odds of -120 (5/6).
Washington Wizards win-total (bet365): 36.5 (simplified perspective)
- Current winning rate: 43.48%
- The winning rate needed for OVER 36.5: 45.12%
- Difference: -1.64%
- Simplified conclusion: the Wizards are behind their win-total projection
Currently, Washington is a little below the winning percentage that they need to maintain in order to clear their win total. However, they also just dumped a playable talent in exchange for Kendrick Nunn. Nunn is one of the worst players in the league this season that has played over 500 minutes.
In short, Washington downgraded their team with this trade. If they made any more trades, then you would think that they would be for the future at the expense of this season as well. They should be expected to taper off the stretch of the regular season worse than they have in recent weeks.
The players that remain in Washington can’t be feeling any pressure to win anymore. When you see a trade like that, it takes the pressure to win off because you can see that the team isn’t going full throttle. Let’s look at how Washington has done over the last several weeks with the chart below.
Washington Wizards: Recent Form Alert
- Formerly: 11 – 11 on December 1st, 2022
- Currently: 20 – 26 (overall)
- Recent form: 9 – 15 since December 1st, 2022
- Recent winning rate: 37.5%
- Washington Wizards’ recent form: -7.62% compared to what they need
The chart shows that Washington is a full 7.62% lower for a recent win rate relative to the one that they need to maintain. Don’t be surprised if the Wizards play .300 basketball from here on out and that brings UNDER 36.5 wins into play for those that want to bet against this team.
Washington Wizards betting recommendation
- UNDER 36.5 with bet365 at -120 (5/6)
- Our recent NBA Power Rankings