Phoenix bought out DeWanna Bonner, and the Phoenix Mercury odds movement that followed was faster than the paperwork. Washington opened -118 for Tuesday night and sits -144. The spread went from Mystics -1.5 to -3.5. The total came down from 167.5 to 165.5. That is a lot of number for one afternoon.

The reporting says the two sides reached an agreement on a buyout, and once Bonner clears waivers the six-time All-Star intends to sign with a playoff team. That is the whole story, plainly told, and it is not a small one for a franchise that has been tied to her for most of her career.

Checked the almanac: Bonner won rings in Phoenix in 2009 and 2014. Two decades of Mercury basketball have her fingerprints on them, and now she is leaving in August looking for one more shot at a third. Basketball is not sentimental, but I am allowed to be for one sentence.

Now the board. The market did not treat this as a minutes subtraction, it treated it as a signal: a team letting a veteran walk in late August is not maximizing Tuesday. That is why the total dropped two points alongside the side. Fewer credible rotation options usually means a slower, uglier possession count, and the money agreed in a hurry. That is a tell.

Here is my honest caveat. I do not have Bonner's recent minutes and usage in front of me, and a two-point spread swing plus two points off the total is a heavy toll for one rotation piece. When a number moves that far that fast on a signal rather than a box score, the second half of the move is usually the expensive half.

The part I actually like: Phoenix is +3 at -105 at one shop while Washington is laid at -3.5 elsewhere. Half a point on the key number, sitting right there. Mind the gap like it owes you money. The prediction venues have Washington at 62 and 60 percent against a price implying about 59, so the crowd is a touch more certain than the book, which usually means more steam, not less.

What I'm watching: whether this drifts to +4 by Tuesday night and whether the total keeps sliding under 165. If both happen, the market has overcorrected on a roster note and Phoenix becomes a live spot. If the number holds here, the money had it right and I sit on my hands. This is entertainment with variance attached, 21+ where legal.