The New York Liberty have launched themselves into WNBA title contention with their first big move of the offseason — at least, Las Vegas thinks so.
When FanDuel sportsbook released its first WNBA title odds for the 2023 season in December, the Liberty sat at +750. After their trade for 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones, they leapt up to the second-best odds at +440.
The 2022 champion Las Vegas Aces still hold the top spot at +190. But New York could have a few more cards up its sleeve with several marquee free agents available, including Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot.
The Connecticut Sun, who traded away Jones, have dropped from the second-best odds (+370) to the fifth-best (+950). Jones requested the trade, according to Rachel Galligan of Winsidr and Just Women’s Sports, but their return in the three-team trade could not make up for the loss of their best player.
The Sun acquired Tyasha Harris from the Dallas Wings, plus Rebecca Allen and the No. 6 pick in the 2023 draft from the Liberty. New York received Jones from Connecticut and Kayla Thornton from Dallas, while Dallas received Crystal Dangerfield and Natasha Howard from New York.
With the trade, the Wings improved their title chances, which jumped from +2700 in December to…
