How's Blockbuster Giannis Trade Change Spurs' Odds Of Winning NBA Title In 2026-27?

Give 'em credit. Pat Riley and the Miami Heat know how to lure stars to South Beach.

The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade is finally happening, with the Milwaukee Bucks moving the perennial MVP candidate to Miami.

As the folks at BetOnline.ag note, "He’s the seventh major Hall of Famer (future of course) that Pat Riley has brought to Miami.

"In order: Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway Jr., Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Jimmy Butler and now Giannis.''

The trade, made on the eve of tonight's NBA Draft? The Bucks will receive Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and three first-round picks in the deal, including the No. 13 overall pick in this draft. The Heat will also receive veteran forward Bobby Portis from Milwaukee in the trade.

 The eventual result, as it relates to your San Antonio Spurs? Speculation that now the Heat will change the odds of the Spurs returning to the NBA Finals.

But wait. 

The oddsmakers at @BetOnline_ag have spoken.

And ...

The Miami Heat’s title odds went from 40/1 to 14/1.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ title odds went from 250/1 to 500/1.

The Boston Celtics (the other team that was in mix for Giannis) went from 6/1 to 13/2 (+650).

And where are the young Spurs - who lost in the NBA Finals to the veteran-heavy Knicks - perched in terms of title odds?

They're still right at the top.

 The oddsmaking site has San Antonio at +260, making the Spurs the favorite to win it all next year.

The only team even close to them? The Oklahoma City Thunder, at +275.

For the Spurs to accomplish that feat? They will of course have to put some bitter memories behind them.

The Spurs held a double-digit lead and were leading or tied with the Knicks with under two minutes to go in all five matchups. They went on to lose four of those games.

READ MORE: Spurs Face Harsh Reality After Blowing Lead to Knicks in Game 5

San Antonio arguably had more raw talent but New York took advantage in crunch time and highlighted that skills alone can only go so far in the NBA postseason. Not to say the Knicks were not also talented, as Jalen Brunson torched his way to the title of NBA Finals MVP with a 45-point gem in Game 5 to cap off an all-time performance.

Maybe some "scar tissue'' will help San Antonio get where it wants to go next year.

For now?

While the result is not what those in San Antonio hoped for when the championship series began, the runner-up finish is a far cry from the recent seasons by the Spurs and a massive improvement from preseason expectations.

After all, the year before last, San Antonio ended with a record of 34-48 and placed 13th in the Western Conference. Victor Wembanyama showed flashes of his excellence but was sidelined with blood clot concerns to end his sophomore campaign.

And indeed, the Spurs entered the 2025-26 season with +6600 odds to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy, which was 17th in the league. Their preseason win total was set at 44.5.

San Antonio went on to win their sixth Western Conference title, finish second in the entire NBA and obliterated this record prediction by nearly 20 games, with a regular season tally of 62-20.

READ MORE: Timeline for San Antonio Spurs to Trade De'Aaron Fox Revealed

So expectations have changed from a year ago.

But expectations for these Spurs now, even in the wake of the Giannis trade? They remain as high as ever.