The Golden State Warriors came up short in the NBA Finals and saw superstar Kevin Durant suffer a serious injury, leaving in question the future of the Warriors' dynasty.
Yet, for now, the Warriors -- not the champion Toronto Raptors -- are the favorites to win next year's title.
The odds, however, are likely to shift again now that Klay Thompson's agent, Greg Lawrence, has told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Thompson suffered a torn ACL in Thursday night's season-ending loss.
Golden State, at +280, sits atop the odds at Caesars sportsbook to win the 2019-20 NBA title. The Los Angeles Lakers are next at +500, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks (+600) and LA Clippers (+600).
The Raptors, who topped the Warriors 114-110 on Thursday in Game 6 to win the championship, are +1,000 to win next year's championship.
A lot is expected to change this summer with a handful of marquee stars, in addition to Durant, potentially on the move, including Toronto's Kawhi Leonard and New Orleans' Anthony Davis.
Durant suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the Finals. He underwent surgery Wednesday in New York City and is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season. Durant holds a player option for next season.
After Durant's injury, Caesars sportsbook moved Golden State's odds for next year's title from +220 to +280.
"That price is them keeping Klay with KD possibly coming back for a postseason run," Caesars senior oddsmaker Alan Berg told ESPN before Thompson's injury.
The Raptors head into the offseason hoping the franchise's first championship will be enough to persuade Leonard, a free agent, to stay in Toronto. Four teams, however, have better odds at Caesars sportsbook to win next year's title.
Berg said he had already received bets "big enough to make me respect them" on the Clippers and Lakers.
"We are treating all these bets as sharp on the basis that it's a very speculative market, with all the powerful free agents who can turn these teams into championship contenders," Berg added.
The Lakers, entering LeBron James' second season in L.A., are reportedly in the mix for Davis, the Pelicans superstar who has requested a trade out of New Orleans.
The Lakers already have attracted significant betting interest at multiple sportsbooks. At the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas, more money has been bet on the Lakers to win next year's title than on any other team. Three of the four largest bets the SuperBook had taken on next year's championship were on the Lakers, including a $4,000 bet placed in early June at 18-1.
Caesars sportsbook also took a "big bet" on the Lakers for next year, according to Berg, who says the real challenge for bookmakers begins now.
"We're playing this game where hopefully we're on top of the information before everyone else is," Berg said. "But that's usually not the case."
The Houston Rockets are +1,000, followed by the Boston Celtics -- another team reportedly interested in Davis -- and New York Knicks, who are each +1,200.