Anthony Edwards Heavier NBA Draft Favorite After TWolves Get Top Pick

For the second time in franchise history, the Minnesota Timberwolves claimed the first pick in last week’s NBA Draft Lottery.

And because of the franchise player they drafted in 2015, it became a little bit more clear who will likely go in the top spot.

Center Karl-Anthony Towns is the center of the Minnesota universe and is teamed with point guard D’Angelo Russell, the second pick in 2015, for a dynamic offensive duo.

The sportsbooks all agree the most likely choice for the Timberwolves to make is to add Anthony Edwards of Georgia to the Minnesota mix. Three major sportsbooks have made Edwards the favorite by an even wider margin since Thursday’s lottery.

As for the Detroit Pistons, who failed to move up in the draft for the 14th time in 14 lottery appearances, options abound at No. 7.

The draft is scheduled for Oct. 16, though ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday the league is leaning toward pushing it back, along with the start of the next NBA season.

Edwards was favored to go first prior to the lottery

Even before Thursday’s lottery, Edwards was the favorite to go No. 1, according to oddsmakers.

On Thursday afternoon, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard was a -110 favorite at FanDuel, -118 at DraftKings, and +100 at PointsBet.

Edwards was trailed in the betting markets by top prospects James Wiseman of Memphis and LaMelo Ball, who played in Australia.

Wiseman was listed at +180 to go first overall at PointsBet, and +200 at DraftKings and FanDuel.

Ball was +250 at PointsBet, +300 at FanDuel, and +450 at DraftKings to go first.

Ball moved to second at one sportsbook

On Tuesday evening, Edwards was a heavier favorite in each of the major books that have adjusted their odds this week.

FanDuel has extended Edwards to a -200 favorite, DraftKings has made it -134, and PointsBet has him at -125.

There also was some shakeup between Ball and Wiseman since the lottery, where the Golden State Warriors earned the second pick and the Charlotte Hornets got third.

At DraftKings, Ball passed Wiseman (+320) for second on the first overall board at +280.

FanDuel made Wiseman (+300) and Ball (+350) closer than last week. PointsBet kept both players at the same as the pre-lottery odds (Wiseman at +180, Ball at +250).

Pistons clue? Trio notched as seventh to go

The Pistons moved down two spots in the lottery to pick No. 7

Three players are noted by these three sportsbooks as having the seventh-highest odds to go No. 1.

Cole Anthony of North Carolina and Onyeka Okongwu of USC are tied for seventh at FanDuel at +4,000. Anthony is in seventh alone at PointsBet at +1,800.

Point guard Killian Hayes of France is seventh at DraftKings at +5,000.

However, those odds aren’t necessarily what oddsmakers believe the Pistons will do at their slot.

Mock drafts all over the place for the Pistons at 7

Perhaps more constructively, here are a few of the experts opinions on where the Pistons might go with the No. 7 pick, according to a group of mock drafts:

• Two drafts from The Athletic (paywall), Pistons beat writer James Edwards III and Sam Vecenie, both have Hayes going to Detroit.
• ESPN.com writer Jonathan Givony (paywall) has Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton going to Detroit, as does The Ringer.
• Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has the Pistons taking Okongwu, as does Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports.
• Jeremy Woo of SI.com has the Pistons taking Isaac Okoro of Auburn.
• Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation has Wiseman falling all the way down to No. 7 and the Pistons.

Where to bet on NBA Draft in Michigan

You can’t bet on the NBA Draft at Detroit’s three casinos. However, you can bet at four tribal casinos across Michigan.

Little River Casino Resort in Manistee has bets on the first pick of the NBA Draft, along with the three Four Winds Casinos locations in Dowagiac, Hartford, and New Buffalo.