It only took one week into the 2023-24 NBA season for the championship odds to get a major shakeup with the report James Harden will be traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers will receive Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev from the 76ers for Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, KJ Martin plus a package of four draft picks and a 2029 pick swap.

Per the updated odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, the Clippers have the fifth-best odds to win the NBA title at +1300 (bet $100 to win $1,300).

The Sixers are tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the ninth-best title odds at +3000 with Harden set to be dealt.

The Clippers’ previous odds of +2500 had them just behind the Cleveland Cavaliers (+2400) in the betting hierarchy.

Adding Harden to the mix gives the Clippers a higher margin of error than they previously had. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are great when they play, both individually and together, but keeping them on the court has been a struggle.

The Leonard-George duo came into 2023-24 having played 118 out of 308 possible regular-season games and 24 of 37 playoff games over the past four seasons.

If the Clippers happen to lose either Leonard or George due to an injury in the postseason, Harden can keep their ceiling high because of his as a scorer and playmaker. The 10-time All-Star does have some infamous flameouts, but he’s also been the best player on the court in several playoff games.

One big reason the 76ers took the Boston Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season is because Harden had two of the best performances of his career in Games 1 (45 points on 17-of-30 shooting) and 4 (42 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals).

Despite trading away Harden for a package that doesn’t include players who will significantly impact their title chances this season, the big-picture perspective does look good for the 76ers if Daryl Morey is able to capitalize on the opportunity in front of him.

Tyrese Maxey appears to have taken the leap Sixers fans and analysts were hoping he would. The 22-year-old was just named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 30.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists in three games to start the season.

Philadelphia could have two All-Stars on its roster this season between Maxey and Joel Embiid. The team could also have $55.7 million in cap space to spend next summer with two future first-round draft picks that can be included in a potential trade if a star on another team becomes disgruntled with his current situation.

While a potential blockbuster trade next offseason doesn’t help the Sixers’ title odds for this season, they are poised to be a major player in 2024-25 and beyond if the plan Morey appears to be setting up falls into place.

The Clippers needed to have a sense of urgency because the window for this Leonard-George pairing to win a title is getting smaller. George is 33 years old; Leonard is 32. Both players have extensive injury histories.

Harden, who turned 34 on Aug. 26, doesn’t make the Clippers younger, but he’s a win-now player for a franchise that is desperately trying to get over the hump in the playoffs.

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