Phoenix Suns are considered one of the top contenders for the NBA championship in the upcoming 2021-22 season.
In 2021, the Phoenix Suns shocked the NBA by reaching the NBA Finals after ten years without a playoff appearance.
Despite ultimately losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Finals with a 4-2 record, the Suns managed to reinvigorate their fanbase, which had been lacking optimism.
After a three-month hiatus, the Suns are back in action for the 2021-22 regular season opener against the Denver Nuggets at 7 p.m. Arizona time on Oct. 20, airing live on ESPN.
This is the first Suns season where local fans can use new Arizona sports betting apps to bet on NBA games.
The Suns are considered one of the top contenders for the NBA championship.
Arizona sports gambling sites are considering Phoenix a strong contender in the title race this year.
BetMGM Arizona has the Suns listed with the fifth-best odds to win the NBA championship in the 2021-22 season, coming in at +1500.
BetMGM has the Suns listed with the third-best odds of winning the Western Conference in the NBA for 2022 at +700, behind the Los Angeles Lakers (+170) and Golden State Warriors (+425).
Caesars Sportsbook has the Suns at +1500 odds to win the 2022 NBA Championship, tied for fifth among the 30 teams in the league. The top four teams favored to win are the Brooklyn Nets (+230), Lakers (+400), Bucks (+800), and Warriors (+1000).
The Suns are listed at +1500 odds to win their first NBA title at FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona, behind the Nets (+250), Lakers (+400), Bucks (+800), and Warriors (+1200). The Utah Jazz also have +1500 odds.
As per DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, the Suns and Clippers have odds of +1500 to win the championship, which places them below the Nets (+205), Lakers (+400), Bucks (+650), Warriors (+1200), and Jazz (+1400).
The likelihood of Devin Booker winning the MVP award
Another intriguing bet to keep an eye on for the 2021-22 season is the possibility of Devin Booker becoming the third player from the Suns to clinch the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award.
Booker is in a strong position to achieve this goal, as DraftKings Sportsbook has placed the former Kentucky Wildcat in a tie for 11th with odds of +2500.
FanDuel Sportsbook has Booker tied for 12th place with +2800 odds to win the MVP.
Booker and Anthony Davis are currently tied for 11th place in the MVP race with +2500 odds, as reported by Caesars Sportsbook.
The Suns face critical decisions in 2022.
As the 2021-22 season begins, Suns’ GM James Jones must make numerous crucial decisions.
A key question looming is whether Jones and the Suns will come to an agreement on a rookie extension with former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton before the end of the regular season.
Throughout the team’s playoff journey, Ayton established himself as a crucial player by averaging 11.8 rebounds and 15.8 points per game, solidifying his spot in Phoenix’s starting lineup.
If he agrees to a deal mid-season, the former Arizona Wildcats standout might sign a lucrative five-year, $172.5 million extension with the Suns.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports that talks between Ayton, Jones, and Suns owner Robert Sarver have hit a snag. Sources indicate that Suns executives are reluctant to give Ayton a maximum contract due to his early career stage.
When the season concludes, Ayton will be designated as a restricted free agent, giving the Suns the ability to match any offers from other teams.
The Suns will have to make decisions about forward Mikal Bridges, who will also become a free agent in 2022, in addition to Ayton and Jones.
According to Wojnarowski, Bridges is able to receive up to $173 million over the course of 5 years this season, but he has not yet come to terms with the team.
What are the latest updates on the Suns?
In the offseason, Jones and the Suns front office made a series of moves, including trading for Nets guard Landry Shamet and signing free agents Chasson Randle and JaVale McGee to bolster the team.
During the 2020-21 season, Shamet recorded 9.3 points and 1.6 assists per game with the Brooklyn team. He had a field goal percentage slightly above 40% and an impressive 84% free-throw shooting accuracy.
In 2020, Randle, a 28-year-old graduate of Stanford University, contributed as a guard for head coach Monty Williams by averaging 6.5 points and 1.8 assists per game for the Philadelphia 76ers.
It is uncertain if the Suns’ latest acquisitions will be sufficient to propel the team into championship contention.
Oddsmakers rank the Suns as one of the top contenders to win the 2021-22 NBA championship, suggesting that experts have confidence in the team’s ability to build on their impressive performance in last year’s NBA Finals.
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Author
For more than seven years, Peterson Christopher has been reporting on sports and sports betting in Arizona. He currently serves as the lead writer at yengols.com, with a background that includes work at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News.
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