Auburn Tigers' Jabari Smith favored to be No. 1 pick in heavily bet NBA draft

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The NBA draft has become the most heavily bet NBA draft ever, as the odds of the No. 1 pick changing hands have moved.

Smith is the odds-on favorite to be the top pick. Disney/ABC His odds went from -150 to -150 at the casino. Smith's odds have improved at DraftKings, where he was sitting at -270 on Wednesday. The Magic own the pick.

There has been increased betting interest this week and Duke's Paolo Banchero has the second-best odds. The man who was 10-1 on Sunday is now listed at +280 at the casino. The odds were as low as -150 earlier this week. Only three players have a chance of being the top pick.

Heavy betting interest has come from professional bettors. According to Eric Fenstermaker, senior trading manager for Caesars Sportsbook, the odds to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft have attracted five times as much money as the odds to be the No.

Fenstermaker, a veteran Nevada bookmaker, said it was the craziest draft market he had ever booked. There is usually clear-cut news on who is going to be the top dog. We have three guys who have steamed at different times to be the first pick.

Fenstermaker said a group of sharp bettors "who always beat us on the draft" targeted Holmgren last week. At one point, Smith was considered the favorite to be the top pick. This week, the action has shifted to the other side of the country.

There were more bets on Banchero to be the top pick than there had been on any other NBA market. PointsBet reported a surge of betting interest on Banchero. The odds for Banchero have moved from 16-1 to 5-2 in the last week.

Jay Croucher, head of trading for PointsBet, said that market movements are as wild as the rumors that drive them. There were crazy fluctuations in the No. 1 pick market. Smith remains the surest bet despite someone out there believing that Banchero has a better chance.