The BetOnline sportsbook has released odds on the first NBA player to receive a flopping technical foul in the 2023-24 season. In July, the NBA Board of Governors approved a rule change that will make flopping a technical foul for the 2023-24 season.
When a game official calls a flop, defined by the NBA as “a physical act that reasonably appears to be intended to cause the officials to call a foul on another player,” the offending player will be issued a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul, and the opposing team will be awarded one free throw attempt.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart (+700) is the current favorite to become the first player to receive a flopping technical, followed by Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green (+750), and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James (+800).
Odds of First NBA Player to be Issued a Flopping Technical Foul in the 2023-24 Season
Marcus Smart (+700)
Smart finished the 2022-23 season with 11 technical fouls, ranking 14th alongside Julius Randle, Marcus Morris Sr., and Kelly Oubre Jr. However, what separates the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year from the aforementioned players is his flopping skills.
For nine years with the Boston Celtics, the three-time All-Defensive First-Team member managed to get away with flinching, sliding, and flopping nearby his opponents. Now, he will pay the price for being a terrific actor.
As part of a three-team trade in June, the Celtics traded Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies and sent Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and Julian Phillips to the Washington Wizards.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies traded Marcus Sasser and a 2024 first-round draft pick to Boston and dealt Tyus Jones to Washington. The Wizards also traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics.
There’s no reason to think he’ll stop flopping during his first season with Memphis.
Draymond Green (+750)
Next, Draymond Green led the NBA in technical fouls last season, with a total of 21. With second-best odds, the four-time All-Star could very well lead the league in flopping technicals in 2023-24. Green is capable of doing everything — scoring, passing, assisting, rebounding, kicking, punching, stomping, and flopping.
Following Golden State’s 121-95 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 4 of the 2017 Western Conference semifinals, Green signed a Utah fan’s “Draymond Green Flop Counter.”
In 2019, Green said his son was playing basketball in the house and flopping, so he promised to limit his own flopping with the Warriors. “I said, ‘You gotta stop watching the NBA,’” he told ESPN.
LeBron James (+800)
Lastly, LeBron James has benefited from a number of calls throughout his 20-year career. Nonetheless, although the 19-time All-Star is a big flopper, it is highly unlikely he’ll lead the NBA in flopping technicals next season. His G.O.A.T. (also known as greatest of all time) reputation will save him from this potential embarrassment.
Whether playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, or Los Angeles Lakers, the four-time MVP has quite a history of faking injuries and foul calls. During the 2023 NBA Playoffs, James was filmed flopping against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan mocked James after the Lakers star took a questionable fall. “Why does ‘King’ James flop so much?” Sochan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“This man is a disgrace! I’m disgusted,” Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy also tweeted.
The first NBA player to receive a flopping technical foul next season will probably be Marcus Smart.
