Duke Sizemore here, and Houston just put TWO-HUNDRED-EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS behind Amen Thompson! Here’s what we’ve got today: Thompson gets the monster extension, Sacramento brings Ben Simmons back to the NBA, and Washington is making one of the biggest preseason climbs on our board.
Okay okay okay, Houston first! Amen Thompson has agreed to a five-year, $208 million rookie-scale extension with the Rockets. Five years, two-oh-eight! That is a gigantic commitment to Thompson as Houston locks in a major piece of its future.
Now Sacramento! Ben Simmons has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Kings after missing the entire 2025-26 season with back and leg injuries. Simmons is 30 years old, and the expectation is that he works primarily as the backup point guard behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr. That is a fascinating return-to-the-league story, but here’s the important market check: COURT VISION has zero qualifying day-over-day power movers. The transaction happened; the team-level futures jolt has not.
And the roster carousel is MOVING elsewhere. Nick Richards has agreed to a one-year deal with Miami, while Jonathan Kuminga has signed with Minnesota as a free agent.
Now THIS number has my attention heading toward preseason: Washington finished dead last on our board at number 30, 17-and-65, with a 1212 Elo after a 43.5-point recent slide. The preseason projection? 1373.9 Elo and NUMBER 23. That is a seven-place jump from where the Wizards finished!
But there is medical uncertainty attached. Bilal Coulibaly is out with a heel issue through at least early October, and Alex Sarr underwent surgery to repair a fractured right foot. So Washington’s projection is pointing upward while the availability picture demands attention.
No stale Summer League victory laps, no recycled title-race chatter. The next confirmed game on the board is Miami at Toronto on October third, and until then we track the moves that actually change.
That’s your COURT VISION Daily Brief. Duke Sizemore signing off — contracts flying, preseason coming, and I will catch you tomorrow!