Trae Young listed at 80-1 to win 2020-21 NBA MVP award

With four weeks until the 2020 NBA Draft, all is (relatively) quiet in the NBA world. The New Orleans Pelicans did make a head coaching hire on Wednesday but, for teams without open management positions, it is all steam ahead toward the draft, free agency, the trade market and, eventually, the 2020-21 season.

Until the fireworks begin in mid-November, though, fans of the Atlanta Hawks and other NBA franchises are left to speculate wildly on what might come next. That is, of course, a well-worn pastime but, in the modern era, that also means NBA championship odds, the presence of way-too-early power rankings and, as of this week, 2020-21 NBA MVP odds.

Though everything is subject to change before the transaction wheel begins to spin, the good folks at DraftKings are now offering odds on which player will take home the MVP award next season. In fact, two members of the Hawks are available for your wagering pleasure... if you live in certain states.

Trae Young is the obvious inclusion, and the third-year point guard is at 80-1 to finish atop the MVP voting list. For reference, 21 players are listed with better odds than Young, with Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as the only other player at 80-1.

If you look (way) down the list, John Collins is also included at 500-1. That implies that Collins is quite a long-shot, but DraftKings lists “only” 75 players so that is a bit of perspective.

It is far too early for actual “analysis” on this kind of thing but, in the case of Young, it isn’t that difficult to see how a real MVP candidacy would form. He already put up highly impressive statistics in 2019-20, ranking near the top of the league in both points (fourth) and assists (second) per game, and that is a great place to start. From there, a team success component inevitably wades into the discussion but, if the Hawks make a significant leap with Young at the center of it all, attention will surely follow.

At any rate, here is the full list from DraftKings:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo +600
• Luka Doncic +600
• Anthony Davis +700
• LeBron James +700
• Stephen Curry +1000
• Kawhi Leonard +1200
• Kevin Durant +1600
• Jimmy Butler +2000
• James Harden +2000
• Nikola Jokic +2000
• Damian Lillard +2000
• Jayson Tatum +2000
• Joel Embiid +4000
• Kyrie Irving +4000
• Paul George +5000
• Donovan Mitchell +5000
• Devin Booker +6000
• Jamal Murray +6000
• Ben Simmons +6000
• Russell Westbrook +6000
• Zion Williamson +6000
• Pascal Siakam +8000
• Trae Young +8000
• Bam Adebayo +10000
• Brandon Ingram +10000
• Kyle Lowry +10000
• Ja Morant +10000
• Klay Thompson +10000
• Karl-Anthony Towns +10000
• Malcolm Brogdon +15000
• Jaylen Brown +15000
• De’Aaron Fox +15000
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +15000
• Zach LaVine +15000
• Caris LeVert +15000
• Chris Paul +15000
• Domantas Sabonis +15000
• Nikola Vucevic +15000
• TJ Warren +20000
• LaMarcus Aldridge +25000
• Deandre Ayton +25000
• DeMar DeRozan +25000
• Goran Dragic +25000
• Danilo Gallinari +25000
• Rudy Gobert +25000
• Aaron Gordon +25000
• Devonte’ Graham +25000
• Blake Griffin +25000
• Tobias Harris +25000
• Gordon Hayward +25000
• Buddy Hield +25000
• Jrue Holiday +25000
• CJ McCollum +25000
• Khris Middleton +25000
• Victor Oladipo +25000
• Kristaps Porzingis +25000
• D’Angelo Russell +25000
• Fred VanVleet +25000
• Kemba Walker +25000
• John Wall +25000
• RJ Barrett +50000
• Malik Beasley +50000
• Bojan Bogdanovic +50000
• John Collins +50000
• Andre Drummond +50000
• Draymond Green +50000
• Montrezl Harrell +50000
• Lauri Markkanen +50000
• Michael Porter Jr. +50000
• Julius Randle +50000
• Derrick Rose +50000
• Terry Rozier +50000
• Collin Sexton +50000
• Lou Williams +50000
• Christian Wood +50000