Duke Sizemore here, and the offseason just dropped a CAP-SHAKING curveball — here’s what we’ve got today! DeMar DeRozan is OUT in Sacramento, Philly keeps climbing with King James in the building, the Clippers are bouncing while the numbers still scream long shot, and oh yes — the TITLE RACE at the top is an absolute heavyweight stare-down!
Okay okay okay — let’s start with the money move. Sacramento waives DeMar DeRozan. Just like that. His $25.7 million salary for 2026-27? Only $10 million guaranteed — and now he is an unrestricted free agent. That is cap flexibility with teeth. Trade talks fall through, Kings pivot, and boom — one of the league’s most reliable midrange assassins is on the open market. In a preseason with no games until October 3rd — Miami at Toronto — THIS is the action. A proven scorer suddenly available at that number? Contenders are circling. You don’t just shrug at 25.7 million with only 10 guaranteed — you pounce.
Now — markets reacting in real time. Philadelphia, top riser energy. Up 4.6 market Elo points to 1698.6. Title probability sitting at 0.0745 — that’s 10-to-1 odds. And yes, it’s all orbiting LeBron James’ arrival. Inside-the-building coronation vibes, 50-44 last season, and the market says, “We believe.” It’s a modest bump, but in a tight board, every decimal hits like a dagger.
Meanwhile — the Clippers. Ohhh this is wild. Up 10.5 points in a single day to 1284.6… but zoom out and they’re still trending slightly negative since July 27. And that title probability? 0.0014. Sixty-thousand-to-one. That’s a lottery ticket with good lighting. All this while reports detail an NBA inquiry involving Kawhi Leonard and trade discussions that include Brandon Ingram. It’s a bounce — yes. But context matters, and the long-shot math is screaming at you.
Detroit? Quiet climb. Up 6.1, now at 1621.7 market Elo, 0.0356 title probability — 22-to-1 odds. Steady. No fireworks, just stacking belief. Orlando dips 6.6 after a strong longer run, settling at 1549.5. Jonathan Isaac back on a one-year deal, Izaiyah Nelson expected back in three to four months after ankle surgery — that’s recalibration, not collapse.
Now THIS is the part that’s got me fired up — the top of the title race. San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder both sitting at a 1750 Elo. Dead even! Thunder with a 0.241 title probability, Spurs right there at 0.2214. Knicks lurking at 1702. Celtics at 1642. Pistons cracking the top five at 1619. This is a photo finish — and we’re still in July!
No Summer League spin — all 76 games are done. This is pure market muscle right now.
Cap space shifting. Superstars relocating. Odds tightening. I LOVE this league.
That’s Duke Sizemore — and I will catch you tomorrow!