Cooper Flagg's NBA ROY odds slide as bettors hammer in-state rival
The race for NBA Rookie of the Year is officially on.
Following the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, bettors have been making their voices (read: wallets) heard on the ROY market and, perhaps surprisingly, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg has not dominated the action.
NBA DRAFT 2025: First-round grades for every pick
In fact, his odds have actually dropped from where they originally opened at BetMGM. Here's a look at the Rookie of the Year market on Thursday:
BetMGM Line movement (Open to Now):
BetMGM Highest Ticket%
BetMGM Highest Handle%
BetMGM Biggest Liability
Dylan Harper (11-1) was selected No. 2 overall by the San Antonio Spurs, though he still has longer odds than Ace Bailey (8-1) and Tre Johnson (7-1).
Bettors may be onto something here, though. In the last 10 years, the No. 1 overall pick won Rookie of the Year four times (Karl-Anthony Towns, Ben Simmons, Paolo Banchero, Victor Wembanyama). It's not like being the first pick gives players a distinct advantage in the ROY race. That said, the last No. 2 overall pick to win was Ja Morant in 2019-20.
We'll see how these numbers shift before the 2025-26 season begins. Between Summer League, training camp and injuries, there is still a long way to go before we get a clear picture of the race. In the meantime, early bettors are staying away from the favorite.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
33 minutes ago
- CBS News
Bulls trade Lonzo Ball to Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro, source says
The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire guard Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls for forward Isaac Okoro according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the trade can not be finalized until the start of the new league year on July 6. Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35 games this past season after missing the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns because of a left knee injury. The 27-year old Ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after two surgeries failed to fix an injury he suffered during his first season in Chicago in 2021-22. Ball, the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 draft, missed the last two months of the season because of a sprained right wrist. He has one year remaining on his contract with a team option for the 2026-27 season. Cleveland has a need at point guard with Ty Jerome becoming an unrestricted free agent and Darius Garland likely to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing surgery on his left big toe earlier this month. The Cavaliers had the second-best record in the NBA at 64-18 but were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers in five games. Okoro averaged 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds this past season and is a strong defender who can also shoot well from the perimeter. However, he found his playing time begin to decrease over the season. He averaged 14.2 minutes in the playoffs after logging 19.1 minutes per game in the regular season. Okoro has two years remaining on his contract.
New York Post
33 minutes ago
- New York Post
Sam Merrill agrees to four-year, $38 million contract to stick with Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have locked in one of their backcourt depth pieces for the future. Sam Merrill has agreed to a four-year, $38 million contract to stay in Cleveland, ESPN reported Saturday afternoon. The 60th overall pick of the 2020 draft averaged 7.2 points across 19.7 minutes across a career-high 71 games last season. Advertisement In the Cavaliers' run to the Eastern Conference semifinals, he averaged 5.8 points across 19.9 minutes. Sam Merrill of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers during Round 2 Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on May 11, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NBAE via Getty Images Merrill has served as a depth piece for the Cavaliers, as he also did during stints with Memphis and Milwaukee, where he was a rookie on the NBA champion Bucks in 2021. Advertisement Going into his fourth year in Cleveland, the 29-year-old solidified a point guard depth chart that also includes Darius Garland and Lonzo Ball, who was traded by the Bulls to the Cavs in exchange for Isaac Okoro on Saturday. Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) shoots the ball against the Pacers in Game 3 of their playoff series. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Fellow Cleveland guard Ty Jerome, however, is expected to leave in free agency. Last season, the Cavaliers were one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. Advertisement Merrill shot 37.2 percent from deep on an average of 5.2 attempts per game. He shot 40.4 percent from beyond the arc in 2023-24. In 2023, Merrill joined the Cavaliers on a 10-day contract, which was converted to a guaranteed, multi-year deal that came to an end this summer.
Fox News
34 minutes ago
- Fox News
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd reveals plans for Cooper Flagg's NBA rookie season
To hardly anyone's surprise, the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg with the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Flagg, 18, became one of the youngest basketball stars taken at No. 1. LeBron James retains the distinction of being the youngest player in league history to be taken with the top overall pick. Flagg described the moment he heard his name called by the NBA commissioner as "a dream come true." While Flagg primarily spent time at the traditional forward position during his lone season at Duke, the team's roster also listed him as a guard. Former Mavericks player and current coach Jason Kidd admitted he takes a more nuanced approach to players' positions. "I don't look at the position," Kidd said during a press conference. Flagg is expected to make his debut at the NBA Summer League on July 10 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Kidd revealed he wants to see Flagg in action at the point guard position. "I want to put him at point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts. Be able to run the show. Be able to play (shooting guard). Play (small forward). He's comfortable playing that. We want to push. I think he's going to respond in a positive way." Mavericks part-owner Mark Cuban backed the idea of testing Flagg at the point guard spot. Kidd said he received a text from the billionaire reading, "point guard, point guard, point guard, let him bring the ball up." The 6-foot-9 basketball phenom was charged with bringing the ball up the court and getting the offense set up at times at Duke. He ultimately led the Blue Devils in assists. Kidd brushed off concerns about Flagg potentially making mistakes while handling the ball as he played the guard position. "It's all right to fail, it's all right to turn the ball over. We've talked about that. Just understanding the guys that I've been around that have been young from Giannis (Antetokounmpo), giving him the ball, and he failed, but he wanted to come back and have the ball." Kidd expressed excitement about Flagg having the ball at summer league in Las Vegas. "I'm excited to give him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens. Let's get it started right off the bat," the Mavs head coach said. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
