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The PGA Tour heads to Orlando for the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill beginning on Thursday at 7:40 a.m. ET. It’s another Signature Event, raising the total purse to $20 million and bringing back many of the top players who have taken the past few weeks off following the West Coast Swing. Scottie Scheffler is the event’s defending champion and is the clear +320 favorite (risk $100 to win $320) in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational odds to repeat.

Rory McIlroy (+750), Ludvig Aberg +(1600), Xander Schauffele (+1600), Collin Morikawa (+2200), Hideki Matsuyama (+2500) and
Justin Thomas (+2800) are the other golfers in the Arnold Palmer Invitational field getting odds to win lower than +3000. There are also PGA odds for top-five, top-10, head-to-head and more to consider. Before locking in your 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up over $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

This same model has also nailed a whopping 13 majors entering the weekend, including the 2024 Masters — its third Masters in a row — and last year’s PGA Championship and U.S. Open. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting apps like FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics.

Now that the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational field is locked in, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard from the model. Here are three Arnold Palmer Invitational best bets, based on the model’s projections, to target:

Viktor Hovland to win (+5500)
The 27-year-old Norwegian struggled at the Genesis, failing to make the cut, but he was consistent in the prior two events — finishing T22 at Pebble Beach and T36 at The Sentry. He only had one round higher than 70 during those two tournaments. Bay Hill is a course he’s played well traditionally, finishing inside the top 50 in all six career events at Bay Hill, including a pair of top-10 finishes. The model has him cracking the top 10 this week and gives him a better chance to win than his odds imply. Now, see the entire projected 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational leaderboard from the model that nailed 13 majors.

Sepp Straka to finish top-20 (+145)
Straka missed the cut at the Genesis Invitational, snapping an impressive three-tournament streak where he finished well inside the top 20, including a win at The American Express. He bounced back last week at the Cognizant Classic, however, finishing 11th. Overall, he’s finished top 20 in five of seven PGA events this year and he ranks 11th on tour in total strokes gained. The model has him finishing well inside the top 20, making this a strong value with the the plus-money payout. Get Arnold Palmer Invitational best bets for a $1 million parlay from expert Eric Cohen, who correctly predicted the pre-tournament outright winner in seven events over the last two seasons, right here.

Justin Thomas to finish top-5 (+410)
The 15-time PGA Tour winner has been in a win drought since 2022, but he’s getting close to a return to the top of a leaderboard. He’s finished T9 or better three times already this season. If you’re not ready to back him as an outright winner (+2800) yet, the top-five market still brings a big return for Thomas this week, and the model likes his chances of hitting this prop. Get Arnold Palmer Invitational picks here from Patrick McDonald, the expert who called Jake Knapp’s win (50-1) at last year’s Mexico Open.

Full Arnold Palmer Inivitational 2025 picks
You’ve seen the latest best bets from the model. Now, see the complete Arnold Palmer Invitational leaderboard, including forecasted finishes for Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and more. Visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 13 golf majors, including the last three Masters and three majors in 2024.

You can also view expert advice before locking in your PGA Tour picks: Visit SportsLine now to see golf insider Eric Cohen’s best bets for a 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational $1 million dollar parlay, all from the expert who has predicted seven outright tournament winners over the last two years.

2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational odds, field, golfers
See the full 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, best bets and predictions here.

Scottie Scheffler +320
Rory McIlroy +750
Ludvig Aberg +1600
Xander Schauffele +1600
Collin Morikawa +2200
Hideki Matsuyama +2500
Justin Thomas +2800
Patrick Cantlay +3000
Tommy Fleetwood +3500
Sungjae Im +4500
Will Zalatoris +5000
Sam Burns +5500
Keegan Bradley +5500
Matt Fitzpatrick +5500
Viktor Hovland +5500
Maverick McNealy +5500
Wyndham Clark +6000
Robert MacIntyre +6000
Tony Finau +6000
Russell Henley +6500
Shane Lowry +6500
Daniel Berger +6500
Sepp Straka +7000
Corey Conners +7000
Taylor Pendrith +7000
Tom Kim +7500
Michael Kim +8000
Jason Day +8000
Si Woo Kim +8000
Ben Griffin +8000
Akshay Bhatia +8000
Jake Knapp +8000
Denny Mccarthy +9000
Adam Scott +9000
Min Woo Lee +9000
Davis Thompson +9000
Billy Horschel +10000
Aaron Rai +11000
Max Greyserman +11000
J.J. Spaun +11000
Samuel Stevens +11000
Patrick Rodgers +11000
Cameron Young +11000
Sahith Theegala +11000
Thomas Detry +11000
Lucas Glover +12000
Brian Harman +12000
Alex Smalley +12000|
J.T. Poston +12000
Aldrich Potgieter +12000
Byeong Hun An +12000
Taylor Moore +12000
Nick Taylor +15000
Stephan Jaeger +15000
Isaiah Salinda +15000

Where to bet on PGA Tour tournaments
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, along with the various PGA Tour sportsbook promos they currently offer.

The PGA Tour schedule has two tournaments this week with the 2025 Puerto Rico Open playing opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The former will be held at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande. The event will be contested at the Championship Course, a par-72, 7,506-yard course which checks out as the seventh-longest on tour this season. Even with the length, low scores will be expected at the Puerto Rico Open 2025 as the last five winners have all shot 19-under-par or better, including last year’s champion, Brice Garnett at 19-under.

Play tees off on Thursday, and despite his achievement a year ago, Garnett is a 40-1 long shot. The favorite in the latest 2025 Puerto Rico Open odds is Niklas Norgaard (18-1), with Ryan Gerard just behind him at 20-1. Michael Thorbjornsen (22-1), the former PGA Tour University No. 1, is the only other golfer at 25-1 or shorter as he’s coming off his best finish (T39) of the year at the Cognizant Classic. Before locking in your 2025 Puerto Rico Open picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up over $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

This same model has also nailed a whopping 13 majors entering the weekend, including the 2024 Masters — its third Masters in a row — and last year’s PGA Championship and U.S. Open. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting apps like FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics.

Now that the 2025 Puerto Rico Open field is locked in, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.

2025 Puerto Rico Open predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the 2025 Puerto Rico Open: Ryan Gerard, one of the top favorites at 20-1, stumbles this week and doesn’t even crack the top five. Gerard has made the cut in each of his last six PGA Tour events, including all five this year, but he hasn’t truly threatened to win any of those tournaments. He has zero top 10s across this stretch, and for his PGA Tour career, the former UNC Tar Heel has just a pair of top 10s across 29 starts.

Gerard is solid with iron play but lacks length off the tee, which could be an issue this week. At 7,506 yards, Grand Reserve Country Club is the seventh-longest course on tour this season, and Gerard ranks 115th in driving distance — all drives, as well as 107th in total driving efficiency. His work on the greens also leaves lots to be desired as Gerard is 91st on tour in putting average. For someone who has obvious holes in his game and has yet to see his name near the top of the leaderboard, there are far better options to utilize Puerto Rico Open 2025 bets on. See who else to fade here.

Another surprise: Matti Schmid, a 35-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Schmid is coming off a solid 18th-place finish at the Cognizant Classic and has had previous success at the Puerto Rico Open. He was in contention for winning it all a year ago as he entered the final round tied for second before a rough Sunday, but he still finished the tournament with a top 10 finish.

As the coastal course that Grand Reserve is, wind can often wreck shots off the tee. However, Schmid has the power to mitigate windy conditions as he ranks 30th in driving distance out of 184 qualified golfers. Those long drives often lead to advantageous putting opportunities, and Schmid takes advantage of those. The German ranks 18th on tour in total putting but ranks third amongst those in the 2025 Puerto Rico Open field. Few can combine Schmid’s impressive course history with a game that suits this course, so he shouldn’t be overlooked despite his long odds. See who else to pick here.

How to make 2025 Puerto Rico Open picks
The model is also targeting three other golfers with odds of 30-1 or longer who will make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model’s picks here.

Who will win the 2025 Puerto Rico Open, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2025 Puerto Rico Open odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 13 golf majors, including the last three Masters and three majors in 2024.

2025 Puerto Rico Open odds, favorites
Get full 2025 Puerto Rico Open picks, best bets and predictions here.

Niklas Norgaard 18-1
Ryan Gerard 20-1
Michael Thorbjornsen 22-1
Pierceson Coody 25-1
Kevin Roy 28-1
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 28-1
Adam Svensson 28-1
Bud Cauley 28-1
Adam Schenk 30-1
Rico Hoey 30-1
Chan Kim 30-1
Matthias Schmid 35-1
Patrick Fishburn 35-1
Matt Wallace 35-1
Takumi Kanaya 40-1
Matthew Jordan 40-1
Lanto Griffin 40-1
Quade Cummins 40-1
Ben Kohles 40-1
Antoine Rozner 40-1
Brice Garnett 40-1
Henrik Norlander 45-1
Hayden Springer 45-1
Alejandro Tosti 45-1
Joseph Bramlett 45-1
Vince Whaley 45-1
Wesley Bryan 50-1
Chris Gotterup 50-1
Matteo Manassero 50-1
Thriston Lawrence 55-1
Angel Ayora 55-1
Carson Young 60-1
Jeremy Paul 60-1
Adrien Dumont De Chassart 60-1
Taylor Montgomery 60-1
Ricky Castillo 60-1
Karl Vilips 60-1
Chad Ramey 65-1
Kyoung-Hoon Lee 65-1
Garrick Higgo 70-1
Trey Mullinax 70-1
Dylan Wu 70-1
Rikuya Hoshino 70-1
Steven Fisk 70-1
Nick Hardy 70-1
Danny Walker 75-1
Cameron Champ 75-1
Robby Shelton 80-1
Kevin Chappell 90-1
Blades Brown 90-1
Tim Widing 90-1
Kevin Tway 90-1
William Mouw 100-1
Danny Willett 100-1
Justin Hastings 100-1
Tyler Duncan 100-1
Martin Laird 100-1
Zac Blair 100-1
Trace Crowe 125-1
Russell Knox 125-1
Chris Nido 125-1
Thomas Rosenmueller 125-1
Harry Higgs 125-1
Matthew NeSmith 125-1
Paul Peterson 150-1
Aaron Baddeley 150-1
David Lipsky 150-1
John Pak 150-1
Chesson Hadley 150-1
Carl Yuan 150-1
Brandt Snedeker 150-1
Taylor Dickson 150-1
Noah Goodwin 150-1
Norman Xiong 175-1
Scott Piercy 175-1
Matthew Riedel 175-1
Will Chandler 175-1
Davis Riley 175-1
Cristobal Del Solar 200-1
Chez Reavie 200-1
Ryan Brehm 200-1
Trevor Cone 200-1
William McGirt 200-1
Camilo Villegas 200-1
Hayden Buckley 225-1
Richy Werenski 225-1
James Hahn 250-1
Connor Williams 250-1
Braden Thornberry 250-1
Troy Merritt 250-1
Kevin Velo 250-1
Austin Cook 250-1
Jonathan Byrd 275-1
Sang-Moon Bae 275-1
Mason Andersen 300-1
Jason Dufner 300-1
Ryan Palmer 350-1
Bill Haas 350-1
Kieron Van Wyk 400-1
Adam Long 400-1
Anders Albertson 400-1
Ryan Armour 500-1
Robert Streb 500-1
Cody Gribble 500-1
Kaito Onishi 500-1
Philip Knowles 500-1
Sean OHair 500-1
Brett White 500-1
Ben Warian 750-1
Brian Stuard 750-1
Santiago De La Fuente 750-1
Tommy Gainey 750-1
Sung Kang 1000-1
Ben Crane 1500-1
Kelvin Hernandez 1500-1
Jim Herman 1500-1
Vince Covello 2500-1
Gustavo Rangel 2500-1
David Hearn 2500-1
Ben Polland 2500-1
George McNeill 2500-1
Max Kennedy 2500-1
Nick Watney 2500-1
Kyle Stanley 2500-1
Reinaldo Simoni 2500-1
Andrew Filbert 2500-1

Where to bet on PGA Tour tournaments
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on the Puerto Rico Open along with the various PGA Tour sportsbook promos they currently offer.

The fourth signature event of the 2025 PGA Tour season takes place this week with the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Scottie Scheffler, winner of two of the last three Arnold Palmer Invitationals, is the +320 favorite (risk $100 to win $320), according to the latest 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational odds. Scheffler is -300 (risk $300 to win $100) to finish inside the top 10 and -150 to record a top-five finish. But if you are looking to score a bigger payday when making 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational bets, Scheffler likely isn’t your target. Who are some longshots that can pull off a shocking result at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational, which tees off from Bay Hill Golf Course in Florida on Thursday, March 6? The first round is set to get underway at 7:40 a.m. ET.

Sandwiched between Scheffer’s two victories is Kurt Kitayama, who won as one of the longest longshots in the Arnold Palmer Invitational field in 2023. Given significant longshots have proven the ability to win at Bay Hill recently, could golfers like Matt Fitzpatrick (55-1), Shane Lowry (65-1) or Jason Day (80-1) have value in your 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational bets? Lowry has finished T-11 or better in two of his last three starts on tour and is +300 (risk $100 to win $300) to finish inside the top 10 this week. Before locking in your 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up over $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

This same model has also nailed a whopping 13 majors entering the weekend, including the 2024 Masters — its third Masters in a row — and last year’s PGA Championship and U.S. Open. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting apps like FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics.

Now that the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational field is locked in, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard. Here are three Arnold Palmer Invitational sleepers to target:

Justin Thomas (28-1)
Thomas has back-to-back top-10 finishes, most recently finishing T-9 at The Genesis Invitational. The 15-time PGA Tour winner is coming off a significantly stronger 2024 season than he had before, finishing 14th in the final FedEx Cup standings last year after missing the top 70 the year before. The 31-year-old finished T-2 at The American Express in his second tournament of the year. He is seventh overall in strokes gained, including fifth in strokes gained: approach to green. Thomas is second on Par 4s and putting average while ranking fourth in scoring average (68.5) and the model projects his strong start to continue this week. Now, see the entire projected 2025 Arnold Palmer leaderboard from the model that’s nailed 13 majors.

Tommy Fleetwood (35-1)
The 34-year-old finished T-5 at The Genesis Invitational in his last tournament and rebounded from an opening round 75 to shoot three rounds below 70. He shot a 68 in his final round to climb into the top five as he enters a tournament where he’s had previous success. Fleetwood has three top-10 finishes over eight career appearances at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, including finishing T-3 in 2019. Fleetwood is No. 1 in strokes gained: approach to green early into the 2025 PGA Tour season and eighth overall in strokes gained. Get Arnold Palmer Invitational best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald, who gave out Sepp Straka as a 66-1 longshot at the 2025 American Express, right here.

Viktor Hovland (55-1)
Hovland missed the cut at The Genesis Invitational and hasn’t finished inside the top 20 in any of his first three tournaments this season. However, Hovland was 12th in the final FedEx Cup standings last year while finishing in the top 25 in half of his events (eight of 16). He was the FedEx Cup champion the year before with elite consistency and 18 top-25 finishes over 23 events in the 2022-23 PGA Tour season. His slow start has drastically impacted his odds to the point where the model projects him as one of the best values in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational field. Hovland has made the cut in each of his previous six Arnold Palmer Invitationals, including finishing T-2 in 2022. Now, see the entire projected 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational leaderboard from the model that’s nailed 13 majors.

Full Arnold Palmer Invitational 2025 picks
You’ve seen the latest longshots from the model. Now, see the Arnold Palmer Invitational leaderboard, including forecasted finishes for Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Xander Schauffele, and more. Visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 13 golf majors, including the last three Masters and three majors in 2024.

You can also view expert advice before locking in your PGA Tour picks: Visit SportsLine now to see golf insider Patrick McDonald’s best bets for the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational, all from the expert who gave out Straka as a 66-1 longshot at the 2025 American Express.

2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational odds, field, golfers
Get full 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, best bets and predictions here.

Scottie Scheffler +320
Rory McIlroy +750
Ludvig Aberg +1600
Xander Schauffele +1600
Collin Morikawa +2200
Hideki Matsuyama +2500
Justin Thomas +2800
Patrick Cantlay +3000
Tommy Fleetwood +3500
Sungjae Im +4500
Will Zalatoris +5000
Sam Burns +5500
Keegan Bradley +5500
Matt Fitzpatrick +5500
Viktor Hovland +5500
Maverick McNealy +5500
Wyndham Clark +6000
Robert MacIntyre +6000
Tony Finau +6000
Russell Henley +6500
Shane Lowry +6500
Daniel Berger +6500
Sepp Straka +7000
Corey Conners +7000
Taylor Pendrith +7000
Tom Kim +7500
Michael Kim +8000
Jason Day +8000
Si Woo Kim +8000
Ben Griffin +8000
Akshay Bhatia +8000
Jake Knapp +8000
Denny Mccarthy +9000
Adam Scott +9000
Min Woo Lee +9000
Davis Thompson +9000
Billy Horschel +10000
Aaron Rai +11000
Max Greyserman +11000
J.J. Spaun +11000
Samuel Stevens +11000
Patrick Rodgers +11000
Cameron Young +11000
Sahith Theegala +11000
Thomas Detry +11000
Lucas Glover +12000
Brian Harman +12000
Alex Smalley +12000|
J.T. Poston +12000
Aldrich Potgieter +12000
Byeong Hun An +12000
Taylor Moore +12000
Nick Taylor +15000
Stephan Jaeger +15000
Isaiah Salinda +15000

Where to bet on PGA Tour tournaments
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, along with the various PGA Tour sportsbook promos they currently offer.

It is well known that the Oklahoma City Thunder have built one of the best franchises in the entire National Basketball Association. Whether through massive trades or drafting the right pieces, the Thunder front office has shown how knowledgeable and experienced they are in their craft.

Earlier today, that same front office was recognized for their efforts and success as league executives voted the OKC front office as the best at what they do.

OKC Thunder voted with top front office in NBA
A group of 40 total NBA executives got together and voted on a variety of topics, with one such topic being what franchise had the best front office. When the tallies were all counted, it wasn’t even close.

NBA executives voted on the top front offices in the league:

1.Oklahoma City Thunderhttps://t.co/QUkI7VfggX Celticshttps://t.co/XygofsXWVB Heat
4.Memphis Grizzlies
5.Minnesota Timberwolveshttps://t.co/41QpQgeQIt York Knicks
7.Orlando Magic
8.Cleveland Cavaliers
9.Golden… pic.twitter.com/0JEIN72Ak9

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 11, 2024
With 354 total points and the next closest franchise trailing by over 100 points, it was almost a unanimous decision that Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder have the top front office in the league.

Deservingly so, of course. The Thunder were able to turn Paul George into an assortment of draft picks and players, two of which would end up being Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is seen as one of the top-five best players in the NBA, and Jalen Williams, who is one of top two-way rising stars in the association.

The Thunder were also able to draft Chet Holmgren in the 2022 NBA Draft with the second overall pick. Of course, Holmgren would go onto have a spectacular rookie season placing second in Rookie of the Year voting while also placing First Team All-Rookie in 2023 and was having an incredible sophomore campaign before his injury.

Moreover, alongside Chet during the 2023/24 season was Cason Wallace, who was selected tenth by OKC in the 2023 Draft. Due to his exceptional defense, elite shooting and great athleticism, Wallace was able to make Second Team All-Rookie and has found himself with a significant role on the best defensive team in the NBA.

MORE: Struggling 76ers may pave the way for OKC Thunder to have top lottery pick in 2025 NBA Draft.

All of that in just two drafts. The Thunder still managed to acquired Jaylin Williams, Ousmane Dieng, Ajay Mitchell and Dillon Jones over the past couple of drafts while also signing the incredible free agents of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso in the 2024 offseason.

What the Thunder have been able to do rebuilding-wise over the past four-to-five years is absolutely insane. There are numerous teams who started to rebuild around the same time OKC did and are nowhere near as good as the Thunder.

Loud City still has a plentiful amount of draft picks over the next six years while also having a juggernaut of a team. Sam Presti has truly built a dynasty in the Sooner State.

Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported on Stein’s Substack about what would prevent the Sixers from making a trade.

“A desire to make a move or two is never lacking in Philadelphia,” they wrote. “The issue these days for 7-15 76ers is limited optionality. A December deal is highly unlikely because two of Philly’s most perceived-to-be tradable players — KJ Martin and Kelly Oubre — are ineligible to be moved until Jan. 15 since both re-signed with the Sixers at numbers north of 120% of their 2023-24 salaries.”

Martin has been brought up in trade ideas because his contract appeals to teams trying to cut a salary or two. The second year of Martin’s current contract is non-guaranteed.

Why this puts the Sixers at a disadvantage
Other unrestricted free agents who signed with their teams on December 15 are eligible to be traded. Hence, the teams who employ them have the first crack at getting their desired trade targets before the Sixers do.

At the same time, they only have a month, and there’s no telling if sellers will like what other potential partners have more than the Sixers.

The Sixers are working to get their season back on track. Their most recent stretch of games looks the most promising they’ve been all season. Getting another rotation player for the stretch run could do wonders for them.

They may have to wait a little longer than most teams will to make that happen, but it will be interesting to see if what Philadelphia has may make sellers think twice before they make any moves. Conversely, sellers may use the Sixers’ disadvantage to their advantage in trade negotiations.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ misfortune might be the stroke of luck the Lakers need. At 7-15, their season is in the dumps, and the pairing of Paul George with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey simply has not worked out. George, a nine-time All-Star, is averaging a woeful 16 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season while shooting 32.1% from 3-point range. The Sixers, if they’re smart, will lean into rookie Jared McCain as a franchise piece moving forward and try to rebuild around him, Maxey, and Embiid amid a potentially lost season.

Should the rumors be true about the Lakers willing to part with Austin Reaves, then Rob Pelinka can dangle some very real assets in front of the Sixers’ face. By offering D’Angelo Russell’s expiring contract, along with Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood and a 2029 first-round pick, the money is balanced enough for the Lakers to ask for George, Ricky Council IV and Jeff Dowtin Jr. (two-way).

With Reaves as a long-term piece in the City of Brotherly Love, the Sixers can have a backcourt unit of him, Maxey and McCain, use Embiid (when healthy) at center and have a rotating cast at power forward, with Hachimura offering a defensive upgrade.

The Lakers, meanwhile, lose two ball handlers in Reaves and Russell but could use James and George in the backcourt with Davis down low, finally giving the franchise the big three it has dreamed of. The deal would slash the Lakers’ future to a degree, but if George can find his footing on his fifth team, the Lakers will surge up the standings.

Trae Young doesn’t factor into that plan (necessarily), which is why the Hawks would be willing to part ways with the three-time All-Star point guard if they can get a favorable return.

Meanwhile in Orlando, the Magic are more than staying afloat without Paolo Banchero. Orlando (17-10) was third in the East entering Wednesday, but if they could add one more star to the Banchero/Franz Wagner/Jalen Suggs core, serious contention would be within view.

Is Young the missing piece for the Magic?

Orlando could call up Atlanta and offer a package of Jonathan Isaac, Cole Anthony, and a 2030 first-round pick to get the conversation started.

Isaac is a valuable defender who would benefit the Hawks right away. Anthony would fit into the Hawks’ rotation nicely, too, especially if Young was gone.

Would this package be enough for Atlanta to bite? Young is likely to attract other, high-profile suitors like the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, so it’s not difficult to imagine Orlando being outbid.

Nonetheless, it can’t hurt the Magic to get an offer on the table. Young’s days in Atlanta are likely numbered.

Atlanta is wide open to trading Trae Young, and teams like the Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers are sure to be interested.

But what if the Hawks went in a radical direction and engaged the Clippers in talks about two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard?

LA might be ready to move on from Kawhi, and if they could get Young in return for doing so, they’d likely give such a move deep consideration.

Young and Cody Zeller to the Clippers for Leonard works financially; it’s just a matter of both teams being okay with the swap from a basketball standpoint.

Kawhi isn’t giving the Clippers anything right now, and there’s reason to believe he won’t anytime soon. With LA in the playoff race out west, the Clippers would love to acquire a guy like Trae to come in and take them to a new level of being possible surprise contenders.

And while the Hawks could definitely get a return for Trae that is far less risky, they’re unlikely to come upon an offer with a higher ceiling than getting Kawhi Leonard.

Atlanta has the luxury of being in a soft rebuild on their side here — they can sort of afford for a Kawhi trade to turn out badly (say, he never gets healthy), because they are building something new and exciting around Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels, anyway.

On the other hand, if Leonard does return to some semblance of form, suddenly the Hawks are a team no one in the Eastern Conference wants to draw in the playoffs.

We’ve already seen how amazing the duo of James and Curry can be after the two joined forces to win a gold medal in the 2024 Olympics. With the Lakers season going sideways, could they link up again?

Here’s what would need to happen for the unthinkable to become a reality.

SN’s NBA HQ: Live NBA scores | Updated NBA standings | Full NBA schedule

LeBron James trade to Warriors
A James trade to the Bay Area is not easy to pull off for several reasons.

First, both teams are financially constrained, so there aren’t many options in terms of the salaries involved.

Second, the Warriors don’t have a ton to offer the Lakers, who could still get a great package from other teams if they ever did decide to make James available.

Third, any trade for James would likely have to include Bronny, per Lakers insider Anthony Irwin.

Lastly, James has a no-trade clause built into his contract. He’d need to want to be traded to the Warriors, and Golden State would need to retain most of its talent to keep itself an attractive destination.

With those conditions in mind, here is what a trade could look like between the two sides.

MORE: NBA teams wondering if LeBron James will be interested in trade

LeBron James
Bronny James
Cam Reddish
Jalen Hood-Schifino
MORE: Why LeBron James continues to be linked to Warriors in trade rumors

Why the Warriors would do it
We don’t have to overthink this one. If you’re a team with championship aspirations and have a chance to trade for James, you do it.

This is particularly true of the Warriors, who have been spinning the tires on a James trade for good reason. Not only is he still an amazing player, but he’s also a perfect fit in their system.

We’ve already seen in the Olympics how devastating the James-Curry pick-and-roll can be, particularly when it’s Curry setting a screen to get a smaller player switched onto James. No guard can stop James when he’s going downhill, even as he turns 40.

When teams have doubled Curry, the Warriors have thrived with Draymond Green as a playmaker in the short roll. As amazing as Green is, James would be on an entirely different level. It would be impossible to send extra help because James would shred that defensive coverage.

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Cam Reddish and Jalen Hood-Schifino would need to be included in this deal as salary filler. Reddish has turned into a good defender and a shaky offensive player. Hood-Schifino doesn’t look like an NBA player, but he’s still a young prospect who could theoretically improve.

Bronny probably wouldn’t play this year, but the Warriors did consider him a legitimate prospect and gave some thought to drafting him. Maybe he turns into something down the line.

Andrew Wiggins, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga would have to be the outgoing package to get up to James’ salary number.

The Warriors would have to give up all of their draft equity to make this type of deal work. This is everything they have. They can trade unprotected first-rounders in 2026 and 2028, along with their 2030 pick if it lands 1-20 (the Wizards already own the rights to that pick if it falls 21-30).

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Why the Lakers would do it
The hold-up on this deal would be the Lakers. Why would they want to trade James? Sure, they don’t look like serious contenders right now, but the same was true last year when they quickly shut down trade talks on their superstar player.

Let’s put that aside and consider if James did demand a trade or ownership had a sudden change of heart. In that case, this would be a pretty good package.

Wiggins has reverted to a solid starting wing in the league after a disastrous previous season. Payton is the type of defensive stopper Los Angeles desperately needs. Melton is out for the year and is simply expiring salary. The real prize is Kuminga.

Kuminga hasn’t been a consistent player in Golden State. He can certainly score, and his drives to the rim are special. Aside from that, it’s been mostly flashes of the shooting and defense he’d need to break out. Still, his combination of athleticism and talent doesn’t come around a lot.

Getting three rotation players would allow the Lakers to stay competitive and move gracefully into the next phase of their team, built around Anthony Davis. The three picks they’d receive in this deal would also let them trade for a superstar to replace James once one becomes available.

James’ no-trade clause might be the biggest sticking point. The stars would have to align perfectly, with James demanding to join Curry in the Bay Area. If he turned the screws, this deal could happen.