Lakers are attracting the most money from bettors and it's not even close

NBA fans are hoping to make a boatload of money on the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Bettors have placed the most money on the Lakers to win it all by a large margin, according to ESPN.

Just how optimistic are Lakers’ fans? David Purdum of ESPN cites three eye-popping numbers that show how much the Lakers are blowing other teams out of the water.

These aren’t small bets, either. Purdum reports that some five-figure bets have come in on the Lakers.

While the level of attention the Lakers have received compared to other teams is surprising, the fact that they are bringing in a lot of bets should be expected. The Lakers are one of the most popular sports teams in the United States. They were going to draw a lot of attention no matter what happened in the offseason.

It helps, of course, that the Lakers got significantly stronger over the summer. The team pulled off a trade for Anthony Davis, giving LeBron James the superstar teammate he desired. Most sportsbooks consider the Lakers one of the favorites heading into the season. The Los Angeles Clippers are considered the consensus favorite to win it all at most sportsbooks.

Whether the Lakers will live up to those lofty expectations will begin to be revealed Tuesday night, when the team takes on the Clippers in the season opener. As long as the Lakers don’t get blown out, fans can feel pretty good that the Lakers can hang with other elite teams.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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