Cavs Favored to Win Eastern Conference in New NBA Betting Odds After James Harden Trade
After acquiring guard James Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the new favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals.
Per Action Network, the Cavs are +320 favorites to win the East, followed by the New York Knicks at +350, the Detroit Pistons at +360 and the Boston Celtics at +380.
On Tuesday night, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Cavs acquired Harden from the Clippers in exchange for guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick, causing a significant shakeup in the tightly contested Eastern Conference.
After posting the best record in the East last season, the Cavaliers have had their ups and downs this season, but they enter play Wednesday fifth in the conference with a 30-21 record.
Even before landing Harden, the Cavs were playing their best basketball of the season, winning eight of their past 10 games.
Now, Cleveland is adding a likely future Hall of Famer in Harden to a core that already included a seven-time All-Star in guard Donovan Mitchell, the 2024-25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year in Evan Mobley and a quality center in Jarrett Allen.
Although Harden is 36 years of age and in the midst of his 17th NBA season, the one-time NBA MVP is still playing at an elite level, averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 three-pointers made and 1.3 steals per game this season.
As great as Harden has been over the course of his career, he has often been criticized for his playoff performance, as he has never won a championship and has not reached the NBA Finals since he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder back in 2012.
He also has a lower scoring average in the playoffs compared to the regular season at 22.5 points per game versus 24.1 points per game, and he shoots just 42.5 percent from the field during his postseason career.
Even so, Harden is a big name and an impact player capable of potentially tipping the scales in Cleveland's favor.
The Cavs and Knicks were essentially co-favorites in the Eastern Conference entering the season, and only 2.5 games separate them in the standings, as New York is second with a 32-18 record.
Detroit has been the surprise team of the season, leading the East by 5.5 games with a 37-12 mark, but the odds suggest bettors aren't quite buying into the Pistons' young, talented roster over teams with more established stars such as the Cavs and Knicks.
Given that very little separates the Cavs, Knicks, Pistons and Celtics in the betting odds, though, it is clear that the East is still considered something of a crapshoot, even if Harden's arrival gives Cleveland a slight edge in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
