Culture
NBA free agency: Russell Westbrook, Quentin Grimes and the odd situations that loom
Get ready for a different kind of free agency this summer: Less wild, perhaps, but weirder.
At first, the 2025 NBA free-agent class doesn’t exactly overwhelm you with front-line talent. This isn’t the year for superstars holding meetings in the Hamptons while teams wait on pins and needles for franchise-altering decisions. Only one likely All-NBA selection can become a free agent this summer, and that one (the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James) isn’t going anywhere. The next-best potential free agent, the Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving, turns 33 soon and just tore his ACL.
However, what the free-agent class lacks in superstar talent, it makes up for in sheer quirkiness. Between the most recent collective bargaining agreement, some existing rules that rarely came into play before and several players massively outplaying small contracts, this summer could offer some real financial puzzles for front offices.
Here’s a preview of some of the more interesting conundrums as we truck toward the offseason:
Ty Jerome’s unlikely breakout
Jerome might have the best value non-rookie contract in the league; the Cleveland Cavaliers’ breakout super sub only makes $2.56 million after signing a two-year deal with the Cavs in 2023.
The issue this summer is that the Cavs only have early Bird rights on him as a free agent because of that two-year deal. Nobody ever considered the possibility that Jerome would be so awesome that “only” being able to pay him $14 million next season would make him a potential flight risk, but here we are.
Jerome is having one of the most unlikely breakout seasons in league annals, suddenly emerging in his sixth season out of Virginia (wahoowa!) as a serious contender for both the Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player awards. He’s shooting 41.8 percent from 3 and an unfathomable 55.6 percent from floater range, boasts the league’s 10th-highest steal rate among players with at least 1,000 minutes, averages nearly three assists for every turnover and has compiled a 20.1 PER for a team that’s a phenomenal 56-13.
Knowing the Cavs can only get to $14 million, if you’re a team like the Brooklyn Nets or Chicago Bulls that has some cap space this summer, is it out of the question to offer Jerome $20 million a year? He’s 27, so his next deal would pay him for his prime years.
The cap rules on paying Jerome are only half the problem for Cleveland. The other half is … what if he re-signs? Locking up Jerome at that $14 million number becomes a very expensive proposition for the Cavs, who are plunging deep into the luxury tax next year regardless because of Evan Mobley’s likely supermax extension.
Paying Jerome market-rate money on top of that would blast Cleveland way past the second-apron threshold. While it’s possible other trades could soften the blow (what would you give me for a lightly used Isaac Okoro?), it’s clear Jerome’s unlikely success has added another layer to what was already a tricky cap problem facing Cleveland.
Could he take a cheapo one-plus-one deal that would let the Cavs pay him as a Bird rights free agent a year from now? That might be the only palatable endgame from Cleveland’s side, but it’s tough to ask a guy who has never been paid to wait another year for his bag.
Ty Jerome has taken a major leap in Year 6. (Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)
Russell Westbrook’s option
Westbrook is thriving in Denver, yet he and the Nuggets face a very interesting fork in the road. He has a player option for 2025-26 for $3.5 million, and he’s pretty clearly worth massively more than this, at least to the Nuggets. That’s good news for this season but bad news once we get to the summer.
Westbrook opting out feels like a no-brainer, but Denver has few mechanisms for paying him much more. The best possibility is probably to use its taxpayer midlevel exception, which would cap the Nuggets at the second apron but would allow them to pay Westbrook a projected $5.7 million in 2025-26. A two-year deal with a player option would let him opt out of that contract again in 2026 to get more jelly as an early Bird free agent.
Anything more than $5.7 million requires some serious digging. For instance, getting to the point where the Nuggets could pay Westbrook some or all of the projected $14.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception would require the Nuggets to shed about $10 million in other salaries to get themselves below the first apron.
That would most likely be accomplished by trading Dario Šarić (who, incredibly, was signed for more money than Westbrook last summer) and Zeke Nnaji (who is playing better of late but still owed $23 million over the next three years). The Nuggets, however, have no draft picks left to incentivize a trade, because they’ve already used so many to offload other bad contracts. They can trade their two 2032 picks after the draft, but do they really want to ditch those picks already? At what price point is it worth just trying to find their next Westbrook?
Jake LaRavia’s contract ceiling
The Sacramento Kings acquired LaRavia from the Memphis Grizzlies with a second-round pick at the trade deadline, a needed piece in a lineup that lacked size at the forward spot.
The conundrum for Kings fans is that they want a “Goldilocks” LaRavia … one who plays well but not too well. As a result of Memphis declining his fourth-year option for 2025-26 this past fall, LaRavia is limited in free agency to re-signing for that declined fourth-year salary of $5,163,127. That limit carried over in the trade; neither Memphis nor Sacramento can pay him more than this but 28 other teams can.
That puts Sacramento at a disadvantage in free agency, but the Kings have a way to get that advantage back if LaRavia doesn’t play too well. The Kings could give him a two-year deal with a second-year player option that starts at that $5.16 million figure; he could then opt out of the second year in 2026 if he has a good year and would have full Bird rights with the Kings and be able to re-sign for any amount.
Obviously, that goes out the window if somebody drops a full midlevel exception offer on him this summer, but thus far, it seems like LaRavia will thread the needle where nobody values him at that amount.
Guerschon Yabusele’s minimum
The Dancing Bear hasn’t played quite as well as Westbrook, but he’s in a similar situation: Playing well enough on a short deal for a taxed-out team that keeping him will be a bit of a pickle.
Yabusele is on a one-year minimum deal; he has non-Bird rights, and the most he can get from Philly without using exception money is a 20 percent raise on his minimum for next year, or $2.85 million. His market value seems pretty clearly more than that, although there is a glimmer of possibility that the Sixers could get him to sign a one-plus-one deal that lets him try free agency again next summer.
As with Westbrook above, the cleanest solution would be for the Sixers to re-sign Yabusele with their taxpayer midlevel exception of $5.7 million. The problem is that it would cap the Sixers at the second apron, and they might need that money for…
Quentin Grimes, superstar
One of the most bizarre situations in the league is happening in Philadelphia right now, where the Sixers are simultaneously navigating a tank job to possibly keep a top-six protected pick and a contract push from Grimes as he hits restricted free agency. A low-usage role player in his first three seasons, Grimes had stepped things up a bit in 47 games in Dallas this season, but he didn’t really blow up until he got to Philly at the trade deadline.
On a denuded Sixers roster with three injured All-Stars, Grimes has averaged 21.8 points while making shots from everywhere — he’s shooting 39.5 percent on 3s and 60.1 percent on 2s, the latter a fairly incredible figure for a 6-foot-5 guard with middling athleticism.
At some point, you figure he’ll cool off a bit, but even after regressing his shooting to the mean, the stat line is impressive. (He’s also increased his rates of rebounds, blocks, steals and assists. Dude is balling.)
What does that mean for Grimes this summer? Being a restricted free agent might limit the market, but given the Sixers’ position vis-a-vis the luxury tax and aprons, teams might also be tempted to test the Sixers’ willingness to spend by dropping a big offer sheet. It could actually tempt a rival team to spend more, in the hopes of creating such a poisonous sheet that the Sixers run away shrieking. Right now, Brooklyn is the only team in a strong position to do this, but things can change before July 1; Grimes will only be 25 this summer, so as with Jerome above, a team would be buying his theoretical prime.
That takes us to the other aspect of Grimes’ situation. Paying him something on the order of $20 million a year would take the Sixers right to the second-apron line, assuming their three players with options choose to pick them up. (Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon have player options worth a total of $17 million; none set hearts aflame with their play in 2024-25.)
That is, unless the Sixers keep their pick, which would add several million to their cap number (the fourth pick will make $8.4 million, for instance) and tighten the screws in other places. In particular, it would seemingly be very difficult to keep both Grimes and Yabusele at their market rates with a top-six pick in the draft.
This takes us back to the tank. The Sixers are in quite a “race” with Toronto and Brooklyn for the fifth- through seventh-worst records in the league, with the three teams resorting to increasingly impressive hijinks to, um, keep up … except that Philly keeps playing Grimes. The Sixers have gone 4-17 since Feb. 4, but Grimes singlehandedly delivered one of the wins (a 44-point masterpiece against the Golden State Warriors) and nearly pulled out another when he hung 46 on the Houston Rockets in an overtime loss.
The difference between fifth and seventh might not seem like much, but it literally doubles the Sixers’ odds of keeping the pick (from 31.9 percent to 63.9 percent). If Grimes leads them to enough wins that the Sixers don’t keep the pick, there’s more money left to pay him!
Malik Beasley, shooting star
I’m not sure what the Pistons’ plans were for their non-max trove of cap space this summer (roughly $25 million), but I’m guessing “using it all to re-sign Malik Beasley” wasn’t anywhere on the list when they were mapping out scenarios last fall.
That was before Beasley basically turned into Stephen Curry from beyond the 3-point line. No, seriously. Beasley’s 16.2 3-point attempts per 100 possessions this season are second only to Curry’s 16.9, and Beasley has knocked down an incredible 41.9 percent of them.
Wait, it gets better: Beasley’s 6.8 3-point makes per 100 are the most ever for a player not named Curry — Steph has beaten it four times, but James Harden in 2018-19 is the only other player to reach 6.5 in a season of 1,500 or more minutes.
This, obviously, has made Beasley a very valuable player. Beasley signed a one-year deal worth $6 million last summer; there is no scenario where the Pistons can keep him for anything close to that. At a bare minimum, they would seemingly need to pay him the full nontaxpayer midlevel exception of $14.1 million; even if that contract didn’t require cap room, it would essentially nuke any cap-room scenarios for Detroit.
Fortunately, Detroit’s books are in a strong enough position that retaining Beasley should be fairly straightforward; the only question is deal length and player options. Would Beasley rather have a short deal with a player option to get more bread a year from now, or would he prefer the security of a longer deal?
Malik Beasley is having a season for the ages from 3. (Rick Osentoski / Imagn Images)
Moe Wagner and Orlando’s tight tax
The Magic have the full allotment of 15 players under contract for next season, have four draft picks this June and are $11 million over the projected tax line. All of that would make it seem unlikely that they would pick up Mo Wagner’s $11 million team option, especially since he’s out with a torn ACL.
However, all may not be as it appears. Wagner is a highly-valued player in Orlando, and not just because he’s the brother (and housemate!) of Magic star Franz Wagner; his injury more or less marked the turning point in the Magic’s season. (They were 18-12 at the time and 14-25 since.)
For one, the Magic have other options they can decline to get the roster down to reasonable size. Declining options on Gary Harris and little-used Cory Joseph and Caleb Houstan would put them under the projected tax (at least until the draft picks put them back over) and open enough roster breathing room to bring back Wagner. Also, because the Magic would retain Bird rights on him, a cheap one-year deal with a second-year player option could be a palatable option for both sides; he could have his “rehab year” then get paid off his work in the second half of the season when he returns.
Either way, declining the option seems like the only play for Orlando. The question is what the Magic can do to retain somebody they would prefer to keep amid a tricky cap environment and a roster that, once Paolo Banchero’s likely max extension hits in 2026, will become fairly expensive.
Lakers decline-and-sign pathway
This little trick is likely to come up in the case of several teams dancing the first-apron tightrope, most notably with the Lakers and Dorian Finney-Smith.
The idea is that L.A. can get Finney-Smith to decline his player option for $15.4 million for 2025-26 in return for re-signing on a longer deal for less money. The risk of overpaying on the back end of the deal (Finney-Smith turns 32 this summer) is offset by managing the immediate tax situation by shaving a few million off his 2025-26 cap number.
The motivation for L.A. would be to leave enough wiggle room under the first apron to either use its nontaxpayer midlevel exception to sign a real center or to trade for one. It’s a tight squeeze right now, even if the Lakers decline Shake Milton’s $3 million nonguaranteed deal. They might even consider stretching Maxi Kleber’s $11 million to generate the necessary space, especially since they’re running out of draft picks to put into trades to incentivize a deal. (I’ll also note this option exists for James as well; there is no rule requiring him to sign for the max, and he actually took a slight haircut on that amount last summer to keep L.A. below the second apron and allow it to aggregate salary in trades. That decision has worked out very well, based on recent events.)
The Minnesota Timberwolves could potentially go this route, too, with Julius Randle, who has a $31 million player option for next season with incentives that could raise the value. Locking in a lower number for Randle on a long-term deal might make it easier to keep Naz Reid in free agency and still make Minnesota’s tricky cap math work in future seasons.
And then there are the Rockets. Houston has a similar issue with Fred VanVleet, except it’s a team option instead of a player option, so the Rockets have a lot more control over the situation. VanVleet is due $44.9 million next season, one where the Rockets are likely to push into the tax. Things don’t get any easier in the future, as their talented young players need to be paid (most notably Amen Thompson in the summer of 2027), but 2025-26 is a squeeze point unless VanVleet’s cap number goes way down.
Thus, locking in VanVleet at a lower number for a longer tenure has a lot of advantages for Houston. However, there’s a case to be made that the Rockets could go the complete opposite route by opting to pay him the $44.9 million, in return for extending his contract at a much lower number in the out years. That concept trades a single year of pain in 2025-26 in return for making the salary structure more manageable in the out years when Houston’s other young players will be ready to get paid. It’s a fascinating puzzle for the Rockets with no clear answer, beyond the obvious one that Houston still very much needs to keep VanVleet one way or another.
Decline-and-sign, discount version
Finally, you may have noticed an unusual number of players this season were signed off two-way deals into two-year contracts with second-year team options.
There’s a reason for that: The teams can decline the option and, as non-Bird free agents, re-sign the player to a much longer four-year deal worth up to 20 percent over the minimum. Given the limited likelihood of a bidding war on players of this ilk (and the protection of restricted free agency, just in case), it’s a good way for teams to play their hands. This is particularly true for those teams that either don’t have access to their nontaxpayer midlevel exception or want to save it for potential use at the trade deadline.
This category includes several rookie two-way players who have since been promoted to roster deals, such as Oklahoma City’s Ajay Mitchell, Golden State’s Quinten Post, New York’s Ariel Hukporti and Philadelphia’s Justin Edwards. All are likely looking at summer “decline-and-sign” situations that end with them returning to their present teams on three- or four-year deals at or near the minimum. (One slight exception: Mitchell got $3 million out of the Thunder’s room exception money and thus can sign for a starting salary of as much as $3.6 million if the option is declined.)
(Top photo of Russell Westbrook: Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)
The trade deadline is behind us and there are only 26 days until the end of the 2024-25 NHL regular season.
With each team having 15 or fewer games left, attention has shifted to the final stretch of the season. Whether a team is vying for a division title, in a tight playoff chase or looking to finish the season with momentum, the stretch run has a lot to offer for all 32 clubs.
This week, The Athletic asked its NHL staff to put teams into five playoff tiers — “not happening,” “long shot,” “bubble team,” “looks like a good bet” and “it’s a lock” — and highlight what’s at stake for each team down the stretch. Teams are listed alphabetically in their respective tiers.
Not happening
Boston Bruins
What’s at stake: Who will be the next captain?
The Bruins are sinking. They traded five players off their roster. It’s unlikely interim coach Joe Sacco will assume a permanent title behind the bench. Morale is low. So this is a good time for the organization to determine who will replace Brad Marchand as captain. David Pastrnak is currently wearing the only “A” with Charlie McAvoy injured. Pastrnak is known for his positivity and friendliness with his teammates. If Pastrnak can help the team hold its head high, he could be the next captain. — Fluto Shinzawa
Buffalo Sabres
What’s at stake: The direction of the rebuild
The Sabres will miss the playoffs for a 14th straight season and are going to be a lottery team in Kevyn Adams’ fifth season as general manager. But he’s still been speaking and operating like someone who will stay employed beyond this season. Buffalo still has a lot of questions to answer this offseason beyond Adams’ job security. Will Lindy Ruff stay on as coach? Will he bring in new assistants? Which players will be part of the future? The stretch run could help determine some answers to those questions. — Matthew Fairburn
Chicago Blackhawks
What’s at stake: Anders Sörensen’s audition for permanent coach
Time is running out for Blackhawks interim coach Anders Sörensen to prove he deserves a shot at being the permanent coach. The Blackhawks have had some highs and lows since he was promoted. Some consistency down the stretch would likely be helpful for his case. — Scott Powers
Nashville Predators
What’s at stake: Andrew Brunette’s future as coach
Predators general manager Barry Trotz has made public comments recently that suggest he expects Brunette back next season, but he then tried to walk back those comments and made clear there is no final evaluation at this point. The Preds are better off losing to increase their lottery odds, and the lineup reflects that at times, but Brunette still must try to get the best he can out of these guys each night. Especially if Trotz is truly undecided. — Joe Rexrode
Philadelphia Flyers
What’s at stake: Spots for the future
After dealing useful and young-ish players Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to Calgary in late January, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere offered an unspoken reminder to the young guys still on the team that the bar is high to stick for the long term. Management will be keeping a close eye on the players who are still developing to determine whether to keep them or perhaps try and deal them in a trade this offseason. — Kevin Kurz
Sidney Crosby has 76 points in 69 games this season. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Penguins
What’s at stake: Sidney Crosby’s point-per-game streak
Sidney Crosby needs four points over the Penguins’ last 11 games to complete his 20th point-per-game season in a row, which would break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 19. Other than hoping to show off a new and improved Tristan Jarry to potential summer buyers, there isn’t a ton for the Penguins to play for at this point. Crosby missed two games earlier this season, so his magic number is 80 points. He currently sits at 76 points in 69 games played. — Josh Yohe
San Jose Sharks
What’s at stake: Winning the draft lottery — again?
The only goals the Sharks had entering the season were playing a more competitive brand of hockey in Ryan Warsofsky’s first year as coach and ushering Macklin Celebrini into the NHL. If success is seeing Celebrini already becoming their best player, Will Smith starting to blossom in the second half and William Eklund showing to be a core playmaking forward, then call it success for San Jose. The wins will come later, the future is now and that means seeing youngsters Shakir Mukhamadullin, Collin Graf and Luca Cagnoni progress down the stretch. Otherwise, why not try to land the No. 1 pick and think about adding Matthew Schaefer to a promising blue line? — Eric Stephens
Seattle Kraken
What’s at stake: The team’s lottery odds
Two years out from a fairy tale run to within a game of the Conference Final, the Kraken have been a massive disappointment, and nothing that occurs down the stretch can really change that. At least Shane Wright has taken a major step, and Kaapo Kakko has flashed some major potential. The Kraken made some serious moves to begin to rebuild, and given their lack of progress after both a coaching change and a pair of expensive win-now moves this offseason, are probably best served by improving their lottery odds down the stretch. The internal pressure to make real progress next season has to be significant. — Thomas Drance
Long shot
Anaheim Ducks
What’s at stake: Momentum for 2025-26 with a strong finish
The Ducks will fall short of a wild-card berth, but they’ve reached the step of playing games of some importance in March for the first time in several years. They’ve got 13 games left to make a statement that they intend to be a playoff team next season. Their last playoff appearance came in 2018, which is also the last time they finished above .500. Great goaltending by Lukas Dostal and John Gibson has powered them all season but now they’re seeing Jackson LaCombe become a force on defense and Mason McTavish having a big second half. Trevor Zegras is starting to recapture his mojo as a point producer. Now is the time to play spoiler and then build on the roster in the offseason. — Eric Stephens
New York Islanders
What’s at stake: Less than you’d think
Lou Lamoriello, who’ll be 83 in October, doesn’t seem to be in danger of being asked to leave by ownership. Patrick Roy is locked in behind the bench. The Islanders traded Brock Nelson for a good return at the deadline but would have some work to do to make other changes in the offseason. The playoffs would be nice, but we’ve known what this team is for a while now, and missing out won’t alter that perception. — Arthur Staple
Utah Hockey Club
What’s at stake: Building goodwill in a new market
The Utahns are only 4 points back of the final wild-card spot in the West, but they need to jump a couple of teams and don’t hold the tiebreaker. Their chances are down to 9 percent and an absolute pounding by the Oilers (7-1 loss) on Tuesday and recent losses to Chicago and Seattle haven’t helped. Keeping things close will be the goal, as no one’s job is likely on the line, with the real test coming in the offseason for this front office. They’ll have tons of cap space, a new name, rising young stars and a chance to make some noise in 2025-26. Year 2 in Salt Lake City will be the first with real pressure. — James Mirtle
Bubble team
Calgary Flames
What’s at stake: Their own first-round pick
Calgary is playing with house money by being in contention thanks in part to their team MVP Dustin Wolf. One big question now is: Which first-round pick are they giving up to Montreal after this season thanks to that Sean Monahan trade? Where they finish in the standings will dictate which of their first-rounders they’ll have to give up (not including the New Jersey pick). — Julian McKenzie
Columbus Blue Jackets
What’s at stake: A truly inspirational story
The Blue Jackets aren’t supposed to be here. They were expected to be among the dregs of the NHL, down there at the bottom of the standings with San Jose, Chicago, Anaheim, etc. Truth be told, in losing eight of their last nine, including six straight, the Jackets are probably closer to a long shot than a bubble team. They’re three points behind Montreal for the final spot, but that murky middle of the Eastern Conference is quite the traffic jam. They’ve already overachieved, but this season won’t be viewed through quite the same lens if they don’t make the playoffs. — Aaron Portzline
Detroit Red Wings
What’s at stake: A summer of discontent
Detroit has been much better since head coach Todd McLellan arrived at Christmas, getting back into the playoff race despite long odds. But even so, Red Wings fans’ patience has slowly evaporated after eight long years without playoff hockey. Steve Yzerman is safe as general manager, but missing the postseason for a ninth straight year certainly won’t make it a comfortable summer in Hockeytown, where the pressure to win is now really ramping up. There aren’t many obvious solutions in free agency, especially given Detroit’s so-so track record there the last few seasons, but the Red Wings can’t just keep waiting forever — especially with Montreal seemingly already having caught up to them. — Max Bultman
The Canadiens are making a late push for the playoffs. (Eric Bolte / Imagn Images)
Montreal Canadiens
What’s at stake: A great development opportunity
The Canadiens have already achieved their goal of playing meaningful games in March; the fact they largely have their playoff destiny in their own hands this late into the season is a bonus. But for the young core of this rebuild, to have an opportunity to experience the intensity of the playoffs would be an invaluable development moment. The Canadiens are far from a finished product, there are several pieces left to add and develop in this rebuild, but a playoff appearance would serve as an accelerator in many ways, and proof to their fans that brighter days are around the corner and their patience will be rewarded. — Arpon Basu
New York Rangers
What’s at stake: Respectability
The Rangers have been a mess most of this season. Their defense is among the worst in the league, and Chris Drury has tried to remake to roster on the fly. They’ve dug themselves a hole in the standings, and the odds are stacked against them to make the playoffs. The rest of this season should be about committing to winning habits and seeing if results follow. If they don’t (and perhaps even if they do) this offseason could feature plenty more changes to the roster, and maybe even the staff. — Peter Baugh
St. Louis Blues
What’s at stake: How much of the core is kept
This will be Doug Armstrong’s final offseason as Blues general manager. The organization announced last June that Alexander Steen will replace him after the 2025-26 season and Armstrong’s sole title will be president of hockey operations. As his clock winds down, Armstrong indicated that he’d explore making changes to the Blues’ core group of players if the results didn’t improve. Well, those core players have responded well, and the results have been better. If the club can complete its late-season surge and end a two-year playoff drought, perhaps he’ll consider keeping a couple of those players who he may have planned to move this summer. — Jeremy Rutherford
Vancouver Canucks
What’s at stake: Pretty much everything
The club’s overtime loss on Thursday in St. Louis will ding its odds, but the Canucks are in the mix for the second wild-card spot despite a season that’s been defined by inconsistency, injury and off-ice dysfunction to this point. From a playoff berth to the team’s overall direction, just about everything feels like it’s on the line for the Canucks. — Thomas Drance
Looks like a good bet
Minnesota Wild
What’s at stake: Making the playoffs
The Wild have a little cushion in their wild-card spot but it’s getting tighter with a bunch of teams pushing. And Minnesota has a tough week ahead with a Dallas/Vegas back-to-back and then hosting the Capitals. Injuries have been a huge factor all season with Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek still out for a while. There won’t be a regime change or coaching change if they miss the playoffs. But it’s still very important, especially with the Wild having traded their first-round pick for David Jiricek. They could get a boost down the stretch or for the playoffs if top prospect Zeev Buium does indeed sign after the University of Denver season. — Joe Smith
New Jersey Devils
What’s at stake: Setting a standard for the future
With Jack Hughes out, the Devils are hard to take seriously as a Stanley Cup contender. In many ways, the rest of this season is about laying the groundwork for the future. New Jersey needs to show it’s a legitimate playoff team, even without Hughes, Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler. Making the postseason still matters. And who knows, if the Devils get in maybe they can push a team (Carolina is their likely opponent) in the first round and maybe steal a series. That would build good momentum heading into 2025-26, when the team hopes to be healthy enough for a more legitimate Stanley Cup push. — Peter Baugh
Ottawa Senators
What’s at stake: The team’s core
The Senators have a 93 percent chance of making the playoffs according to Dom Luszczyszyn’s model. They caught fire at the right time and made essential moves at the deadline to improve their team. That includes trading away Josh Norris from their core to acquire Dylan Cozens. It’s a move many might’ve expected in the offseason, but the Sens did it sooner. If they somehow miss now, it’ll be a catastrophic end to their season and might necessitate further changes to their core. — Julian McKenzie
It’s a lock
Carolina Hurricanes
What’s at stake: Solidifying the lineup
The Hurricanes have new faces, injured players poised to return and prospects all vying for ice time. Coach Rod Brind’Amour will need to fit together all the pieces, determine if young defensemen Scott Morrow and Alexander Nikishin factor into Carolina’s postseason plans and decide which goalie will lead the way in the playoffs. — Cory Lavalette
Colorado Avalanche
What’s at stake: Home ice in the opening round
There are plenty of (justified) complaints about the current playoff format. It’s unfortunate that two of the league’s best in Colorado and Dallas are set to meet in the first round, but it’s a reality. In all likelihood, we are heading for that heavyweight brawl, and in a series that could easily go seven games, home ice could be crucial. Winning Sunday’s meeting in overtime was a good start, but the Avalanche still have some work to do to catch the Stars in the standings. — Jesse Granger
Mikko Rantanen has had a decent enough start to his Stars career. (Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)
Dallas Stars
What’s at stake: Mikko Rantanen’s comfort level
Miro Heiskanen’s uncertain availability for the first round hangs over everything, but in the regular season, all that really matters is home ice against Colorado (meh, whatever) and making sure Rantanen is firing on all cylinders come the playoffs. He’s had a decent enough start to his Stars career, but he needs to be fully comfortable with the Stars’ system, his linemates (Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson) and his off-ice life if Dallas is going to live up to its full potential and win the Stanley Cup. These last few weeks should be all about putting Rantanen in a good headspace entering the postseason. — Mark Lazerus
Edmonton Oilers
What’s at stake: A Pacific Division crown
The Oilers will make their sixth straight playoff appearance dating to the 2020 bubble. The only thing to be determined is where they’ll be slotted in the Western Conference bracket. Veteran defenceman Mattias Ekholm lamented in training camp that the Oilers had home ice in only one of their four playoff series last spring. To ensure at least two, they’ll have to fend off Los Angeles and surpass Vegas to claim their first division title since 1986-87. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman
Florida Panthers
What’s at stake: Trying to avoid the 2-3 matchup in Round 1
With another win over Columbus on Thursday night, the defending champs moved one step closer to clinching a playoff spot. Florida is playing without four key players right now — Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Dmitry Kulikov — and it’s been a bit of a bumpy stretch. The Panthers have a tough schedule left and really mainly want to try and enter the postseason without losing anyone else. But winning the Atlantic — and avoiding the Leafs or Lightning — matters, too, even if the top wild-card team figures to be coming into the playoffs red hot. — James Mirtle
Los Angeles Kings
What’s at stake: Home-ice advantage in the first round
The Kings are too good defensively and too phenomenal at home to fall out of playoff contention, so they’re a lock. The carrot that’s in front of them is being able to start a series at home, which hasn’t happened in three straight playoff defeats to Edmonton. With 11 of their final 15 at home, they’ve got a shot to overtake the Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division. Tracking down Vegas for the division title is probably out of reach but they need more offense throughout their lineup to support Darcy Kuemper, who’s having a terrific comeback season. — Eric Stephens
Tampa Bay Lightning
What’s at stake: Home-ice advantage
The Lightning’s playoff standing is essentially locked up at this point. The only question is where they finish in the division. Jumping up (and maintaining) the second seed would ensure Tampa Bay at least has home ice in Round 1. But if this team can sneak into first place, it would solidify that standing through at least two rounds. Having home ice isn’t everything, but having the ability to control the matchups to open a series can be a real advantage — whether Jon Cooper opts for a power-versus-power matchup with his top players or sends Anthony Cirelli and Ryan McDonagh out to shut down the opponents’ best. — Shayna Goldman
Toronto Maple Leafs
What’s at stake: The Atlantic Division title
The Leafs have never won the Atlantic. A win this spring would equal a lighter first-round matchup, which would equal a lighter path, theoretically, to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1967. Winning it will mean beating out Florida and Tampa Bay. The Leafs have dropped both games to the Panthers so far, but still play them twice in April. They’ve won, on the other hand, both meetings with the Lightning with one more meeting still to go. Those games may well determine 1-2-3. — Jonas Siegel
Vegas Golden Knights
What’s at stake: Fourth Pacific Division title in eight years
The Golden Knights have built a small lead over Edmonton and Los Angeles in chase of their fourth division title in eight seasons. Getting to the finish line would guarantee Vegas home ice for the first two rounds of the playoffs, and more importantly, avoid the Oilers and Kings — who have both played them well — in the opening round. The Golden Knights are 25-7-3 at T-Mobile Arena this season, the second-most home wins in the NHL. — Jesse Granger
Washington Capitals
What’s at stake: A starting role in the playoffs
The easy answer here is Alex Ovechkin’s goal chase. That is a major focus for both Washington and the entire league. But there is one other storyline to watch — the goalie rotation. The Capitals have had an even rotation all season, with Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson playing every other game until this week when Thompson started two straight. Teams tend to lean on one goalie in the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see if Thompson starts playing consecutive games more regularly to prepare, or if Lindgren can push for a look as the 1A. — Shayna Goldman
Winnipeg Jets
What’s at stake: Multiple end-of-season awards and, more importantly: Cup-contending confidence
The Jets could win their first Presidents’ Trophy. They’re well on their way to their second straight William M. Jennings Trophy. Connor Hellebuyck has a great case to repeat as the Vezina winner, while a strong end-of-season push could get him on more people’s radar for the Hart. Josh Morrissey will earn Norris votes, Adam Lowry will get consideration for the Selke, Scott Arniel should be considered for the Jack Adams and yet: the most important thing on the line for Winnipeg is its own self-confidence. The Jets haven’t been out of the first round since 2021, so every game between today and the playoffs is about proving Winnipeg is ready to overcome recent playoff demons. This is meant to be the year. — Murat Ates
(Top photos of Victor Hedman and Auston Matthews: Ray Seebeck and Sergei Belski / Imagn Images)
MINNEAPOLIS — About 35 minutes before the Minnesota Timberwolves were set to tip off against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, an eruption could be heard in the back hallways of Target Center.
It came from the locker room, and the timing seemed odd for a team that was in the doldrums after two straight dispiriting losses to teams that had no business winning in this building. It came from an announcement from head coach Chris Finch, just before the regular game plan meeting started.
As the team gathered around, Finch told them they had the chance to do something special on this night. He wasn’t talking about getting revenge on the Pelicans, who embarrassed them two nights prior. He wasn’t talking about closing the gap on the Golden State Warriors for the coveted No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoff chase. He was talking about doing something for one of their own and a family that has been through hell.
Finch told his team that he was giving veteran forward Joe Ingles his first start of the season, even though this was a “must-win game.” As the players looked around at each other, he told them why a guy who had appeared in only 18 of the team’s previous 71 games, five of which lasted 3 seconds or less, was suddenly starting for a team that was flailing. He told them that Ingles’ wife and three children were in town visiting this week and that one of life’s little miracles had occurred for them at a game against the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
He told them how Ingles’ 8-year-old son, Jacob, has autism, and how he had never been able to sit through the sensory overload of an NBA game from start to finish. He told them that on Sunday, for the first time ever, Jacob was able to watch the entire game, an incredible breakthrough for him and the family that has fought so hard for him since he was diagnosed at 2 1/2 years old.
There was only one bummer: Ingles did not play in that game. Friday marked the last day the family would be together before mom and the kids headed back to their full-time home in Orlando, where Jacob has a school that he loves and a house that provides him much-needed comfort.
When Finch got word of Jacob’s milestone, he became determined to make sure that the boy got to see his dad on the court this time. Not only did Finch plan to play Ingles against the Pelicans, he told his team that he planned to put him in the starting lineup.
“I figured, if we’re going to do it, let’s do it in style,” Finch said.
The entire team started clapping and cheering, a response so emphatic that the cement block walls that separate the locker room from the arena hallway couldn’t contain the noise. All of a sudden, a team that had lost its swag, as Julius Randle put it after the loss on Wednesday dropped them to eighth in the West, was reinvigorated.
“I would want coach to do the same for me if I was in that position,” forward Jaden McDaniels said.
What followed was a 134-93 victory over the Pels. Randle had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, Rudy Gobert had 15 points, 11 rebounds and three steals and Anthony Edwards scored 17 points. The most important person on the court that night went scoreless in six minutes, missing all three of his shots, committing two fouls and turning it over once. The most important person in the building, a young boy who was non-verbal early on in his diagnosis but is now in school and growing and developing and blossoming, was able to watch an entire NBA game for the second time in a row. The only difference this time was Jacob got to see his dad play.
“This is the stuff,” Ingles said, “I’ll remember forever.”
This was a major moment for the Ingles family, a line of demarcation in a seemingly endless battle to help Jacob find his way in a world that can leave behind kids like him. It was also a jolt to a team that seemed to be hitting a wall, to a group of players that were maybe feeling a little sorry for themselves when even an eight-game winning streak earlier this month couldn’t put a dent in the narrow lead the Warriors had on them in the playoff race.
“Sometimes you gotta do the human thing,” Finch said. “We always talk about how all these minutes matter, and (Ingles’) minutes mattered for another reason.”
Ten days ago, the Timberwolves were flying high after a 20-point thumping of the Nuggets in Denver. They returned to Minnesota for a five-game homestand filled with struggling teams, giving them realistic hopes that a season full of frustration and inconsistency was congealing at just the right time. They beat the Magic and the Jazz to run their winning streak to eight and were carrying themselves like a team that wasn’t afraid of anyone in the West.
Then came an overtime loss on Monday to the Pacers, who played without Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam. They followed that on Wednesday with a loss to the Pelicans, who were beaten by 46 points in their previous game and had the second-worst record in the West.
“The energy is off. It’s funky. We’re not playing with that same spirit or the same confidence,” Randle said after that game.
Finch searched for answers to restore the team’s edge. On Thursday, he spoke of how the team has proved to be “moody” this season, soaring when the shots are falling and the wins are coming and sulking when things aren’t going their way.
“We’ve got to be able to survive our own mistakes a little bit better,” Finch said. “Sometimes guys have the propensity to worry a little bit too much about themselves and how things affect themselves rather than the greater good.”
He emphasized to the group that there was little anyone could do to change their individual statistics this late in the season. The sample size is too large for any of them to see their per-game averages rise or fall in a noticeable way. The only thing they can do to affect their seasons in a positive way is to come together and win some games.
Little did he know that less than 24 hours after having that talk with the team during a film session at practice, he would get word of something that could help him illustrate in ways both powerful and relatable what an approach like that looked like.
Ingles’ wife, Renae, and all three children have spent the entire season at the family’s full-time home in Orlando. The end of Ingles’ career is much closer than the start, so when he signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal with the Timberwolves last summer, they decided the family would not follow him to Minnesota. Taking Jacob out of his comfort zone for nine months did not seem practical or productive.
Joe being gone has put even more of the burden on Renae’s shoulders.
“There’s a little less stress because I can afford to pay for Jacob to get what he needs, but it doesn’t take away the meltdowns in the supermarket,” Joe said. “There’s been so many times that my wife is laying on the floor in public and you can feel people staring at you, you know they’re judging you and commenting about it. But they have no idea what he’s gone through that day or the night before or the situation.”
The school they found in Orlando has been an immense help to Jacob’s development. The progress manifested in a tangible way for this basketball family on Sunday against the Jazz. Typically, Jacob will not last long amid the onslaught of thumping music, strobing lights and mascots running amok. They tried to take him to a Minnesota Wild hockey game earlier this season.
“He lasted three minutes,” Ingles said.
Then came Sunday, when Renae and the kids watched the entire first half without issue. At halftime, they retreated to a family room where the children of players hang out, play video games and pass the time if they do not want to sit still in an arena seat for two straight hours. When they got to the room, Jacob had a request for his mother, Renae told The Athletic.
“Have the timer on and watch the clock so that I don’t miss a second of the action,” he said.
Renae almost did a doubletake. She asked Jacob if he wanted to stay and play PlayStation instead.
“Why?” he said. “I can play the PlayStation at home. I’m here to watch my dad.”
They all returned to their seats and watched the entire second half. Joe kept looking up at his family, expecting the seats to be empty each time. Each time, the three of them were right there, having a blast. The pride overflowed from the thick-skinned Aussie, offering a moment of clarity for how far his son had come.
“There’s a lot to it that people don’t see behind the scenes,” Joe said. “Shoot, with the NBA and the money, (people think) those problems go away, and they don’t. It’s a reality for us every day, and Jacob is doing great now, but there’s still a lot of challenges that we go through.”
Renae has a robust Instagram presence, and she dedicates much of it to advocating for inclusion and educating about life with autism. She said she rarely posts about basketball on her feed, but she could not contain her excitement after the game against the Jazz.
“As a dad, just really proud that he’s worked so hard every day with school, therapy, speech, everything that he has to do to fit in in a not very friendly world a lot of the time,” Joe said, “and fit in to work has hard as he has and now get the benefits of now being able to be with his brother, sister and mom, sit there and watch his dad.”
On Friday morning, while Finch was still looking for ways to snap the team out of the mini-funk it was in, he was made aware that Jacob was going to be back in the arena one more time before they headed back home. It was suggested to him that if the Wolves got a comfortable lead in the game that night, getting Ingles into the game would be a cool moment.
His wheels started turning. He called Ingles into his office.
“Initially, I probably thought I was going to be in trouble for something, so I was trying to think of what I’d done over the last 48 hours,” Ingles said.
Finch talked with Ingles about Jacob, about the eternal ups and downs of autism, about the hope that Sunday provided them, but also the acknowledgment that there was no certainty with how Friday would go. Maybe Jacob would build on that experience and ride another game out the whole way. Or maybe it would be another tough night and Jacob would ask mom to go home three minutes into the game.
Finch soaked it all in and then told Ingles of his plan. He did not want to wait for garbage time to get Ingles some minutes. The Wolves had been playing poorly so there was no guarantee those minutes would come anyway. The coach told Ingles he wanted him to start, just to make sure that Jacob, Milla and Jack all got to see him play.
“Are you sure?” Ingles said.
Ingles knew this was no small gesture from Finch. The Wolves had lost two straight games and were 1 1/2 games behind the Warriors for the coveted No. 6 seed, which would take them out of the Play-In Tournament. These games are too important, and the Wolves had some mojo to rediscover. Ingles did not want to mess with that pursuit.
Ingles had played a grand total of 3 seconds in the previous 10 games and had not played more than 5:13 in the last 14 games. And Finch wanted to start him?
“It’s the reality of our business. People get fired every day,” Ingles said. “You see coaches on three-, four-year deals, players getting traded. It’s a brutal business. The fact that it even crossed his mind shows a lot.”
Finch insisted. He spoke to guard Mike Conley about giving Ingles his starting spot for the night. Conley has always been the most selfless of the Timberwolves players, so it came as no surprise to Finch that his point guard was thrilled with his idea. Conley also played with Ingles in Utah and was intimately aware of the family’s struggles, so there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation.
That the Pelicans were playing without star Zion Williamson, who overwhelmed the Wolves in their game on Wednesday night, was of little solace. The Timberwolves have followed a maddening pattern of playing their worst basketball against teams that were missing their best players.
This was no time for sentiment.
Or was it?
What if a gesture like this was exactly what the team needed? What if a squad that looked a little bit tired, a lot frustrated and, more than anything, completely confused about how things had fallen off so quickly had to touch some grass? What if the best way to get some worn-down players to stop hanging their heads was for their coach to put his neck on the line for a teammate? What if he was trying to show them that he saw them not as just X’s and O’s on a whiteboard, but as human beings with families, and that sometimes there are things far more important than basketball?
Finch did not just start Ingles for ceremony and pull him at the first whistle. He called the first play for Ingles, getting him a clean look at a runner down the lane that rimmed out. Ingles played the first six minutes of the first quarter, but like life with Jacob, this was no fairy tale. Truth be told, Ingles didn’t play very well, but Finch did not pull the plug early, even as they fell behind early.
Once Ingles left, with the Timberwolves ahead 13-12, he did not return to the game. Conley started the second half, and the Wolves pulled away.
“Guys were behind it, and I think it gave us just the right boost that we needed and change of energy,” Finch said. “So it’s not often that you get to do those types of things. But we’re really happy that we could.”
Joe’s son, Jacob, watching his dad make his first Wolves start. 💙 pic.twitter.com/SzuH7cMISA
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 22, 2025
“I’ve watched him build his amazing family and I watched him go through everything they went through, the family,” said Gobert, who played seven seasons with Ingles in Utah. “I was excited and I was excited obviously for his family and to play with Joe, because I think he’s a really, really good player.”
Nights like this are not just big for the Timberwolves or the Ingles family. Finch’s magnanimous decision quickly spread across social media, the kind of organic, flash-bulb moment that can generate even more support for children like Jacob.
Joe and Renae have become tireless advocates for autism awareness. They helped organize Autism Awareness/Acceptance nights when Ingles played for the Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks and are board members for KultureCity, a non-profit that specializes in sensory accessibility and inclusion.
Renae knows that the coverage this moment receives will make hearts swell across the country. But she also wants it to serve as a reminder of how difficult life can be for families like theirs, especially those who do not have the financial resources of an NBA player.
“This truly took years and years of work and practice and getting it wrong and not having it work and trying things and failing at things and so much sacrifice to get to this point,” she said. “So it feels nice this week that Joe and I can feel like we are making the right choices for Jacob and his needs. But it’s not all rainbows. … We still have those days and moments.”
Renae’s voice quivered and tears welled in her eyes as she thanked Finch and the Timberwolves for everything they gave her family on Friday night.
“Tonight was truly bigger than basketball for us and our family,” she said on her Instagram story.
Finch wanted it to be bigger than basketball for the other 14 players on the roster as well. They had been in their feelings over the last four days and needed to snap out of it. A 41-point romp over one of the worst teams in the league doesn’t mean another winning streak is about to commence. It shouldn’t put the Warriors on notice that they are re-engaging in the race. But it did allow for them to step outside of themselves, look at a 37-year-old father and an 8-year-old son and take a moment to understand how good they’ve got it.
Long after the game was over, after media swarmed him at his locker for the first time all season and after he received all the well wishes from teammates, security guards and team personnel, Ingles walked to his car and made the short drive from the arena to his downtown apartment. When he opened the door, his three children were all there to greet him.
All they wanted to do was talk about the game.
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(Photo of Anthony Edwards and Joe Ingles: Brad Rempel / Imagn Images)
After the first quarter, both SMU and Memphis assumed everything would calm down. Nine fouls in 10 minutes was a lot. But everyone, officials included, regroups after each quarter. Surely, someone in the three-member officiating squad would say: Let’s let them play.
In the second quarter, the teams made it 90 seconds before the next whistle. The next one came 21 seconds later. And another 29 seconds after that.
“It was so hard to just play basketball, to just play free, without a ref blowing a whistle,” said Ki’Ari Cain, the only Memphis starter not to foul out of that January 2024 game.
“It just felt like — don’t touch anybody,” said former SMU guard Reagan Bradley.
From the radio booth, Tyler Springs, the voice of Memphis women’s hoops, painted the picture: Players stunned and staring off into space; others approaching the referees with varying degrees of animosity.
“At a certain point, I felt resigned to the rhythm of the night, rather than being incensed about it,” Springs said. “It just kept going and going.”
By the end of 50 minutes of play — including two overtimes — 75 fouls had been called in a game that was not unusually physical. The game took three hours and 40 minutes (typical game time: two hours). Ten players fouled out. There were 98 free throws. SMU’s bench was so depleted that it finished with just four players on the floor (and still won, 91-86).
Bradley made it to the second overtime. Then she became the fourth player on SMU to foul out.
“I’m walking down the bench, high-fiving my teammates, and as I’m passing each one, I’m like, ‘You already fouled out. You already fouled out. You already fouled out,’” Bradley said. “It was crazy.”
Five days later, on a video call with officials from across the country, Debbie Williamson — the person responsible for assigning, evaluating and developing officials in several conferences across the country, including SMU’s and Memphis’ league (the American Athletic Conference) — said she oversaw a game that week with “a lot of fouls” … but that the crew was 90 percent correct.
“It was such a proud moment for us,” Williamson said.
Though Williamson didn’t mention SMU-Memphis explicitly, multiple officials who viewed the call, who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly, agreed she couldn’t mean any other game.
“Our expectation for you all, night to night … is that you guys (call) all the rules, all the time,” Williamson said on that call, a recording of which was viewed by The Athletic.
Williamson and the ACC, the power conference she supervises, had not commented at the time of publication. The officials who called the SMU-Memphis game declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment.
The Memphis-SMU game drew some public criticism, but didn’t garner widespread attention like other recent high-profile officiating fracases have. Those include:
• The 2023 NCAA title game, which was so egregious it caused the NCAA to fast-track an officiating review that was meant for the following year
• A 2024 NCAA Sweet 16 game in which Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo was ordered mid-game to remove her nose ring (which she had worn during every game that season, including two NCAA Tournament games)
• Louisville losing a game after a foul meant to stop the clock was ruled as an intentional foul, awarding two free throws to the opposing team
• An official being pulled midgame during the NCAA Tournament’s first round last year because she held an advanced degree from one of the two schools playing. (Throughout this story, “official” is used to refer to a referee.)
“As we’ve continued to see the game grow, officiating is one of those areas that we have to continue to be very attentive to,” said NCAA VP of women’s basketball Lynn Holzman, “and make sure that, within the system that exists, we are providing the opportunities for the officials to grow and develop and get direct feedback, and then there’s accountability for that through the levers that exist for the NCAA. But it is a collaborative effort with us and the conferences.”
Officials getting ripped by coaches and fans is nothing new. But with women’s college basketball exponentially more visible and popular than it’s ever been, the issue is reaching a tipping point. With the NCAA Tournament starting this week, could we see another high-profile mess? As one longtime official said, the sport’s officiating is at a “crisis moment.”
“It was exposed,” one Division I commissioner said.
The Athletic conducted more than 50 interviews with NCAA sources, administrators, coaches, players, commissioners and more than a dozen Division I current and former women’s basketball officials, many of whom requested anonymity to speak freely. Stakeholders within the sport painted a bleak picture: Currently, three people control more than 75 percent of the regular season officiating jobs; officiating styles are inconsistent across conferences; the system lacks a formal developmental framework and security for officials; and there has been limited transparency on almost every level.
“This is a five-to-10-year fix,” said one high-ranking administrator. “And we’re nowhere close to starting that.”
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark argues after receiving a technical foul during the 2023 NCAA championship game against LSU. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
A concentration of power and lack of transparency at the top
While the NCAA oversees postseason tournament officiating, every conference is responsible for its own officiating during the regular season. Each has a supervisor — an independent contractor — who hires, assigns games, and evaluates and determines officials’ pay. Conference supervisors alone decide who should be considered for the NCAA Tournament.
That makes conference supervisors arguably the most powerful people in college basketball officiating. In women’s basketball, there are three main players: Williamson, Patty Broderick and Lisa Mattingly. Mattingly and Broderick had long officiating careers, while Williamson worked in college coaching and education before becoming a supervisor. All have been widely recognized for their contributions to the women’s game.
Combined, working with their teams, they lead 22 of the 31 conferences, including all power conferences. On the men’s side, only one supervisor controls more than four conferences, and 10 supervisors oversee no more than two; no supervisor handles more than one power conference.
One longtime women’s basketball coach said of the trio: “It’s such a monopoly — on controlling the entire spectrum of officiating.”
A Division I commissioner added: “They each control their own little fiefdoms.”
Concentrated power isn’t inherently concerning, but when coupled with the lack of transparency in officiating, it has led to mistrust of the system by some within the sport.
Advancing to the NCAA Tournament is seen as a career pinnacle for officials. It can also push them into higher tiers, where they earn more money. Officials who’ve advanced well into the tournament can earn roughly $4,000 per regular-season power conference game, while mid-major top tiers make around $2,000 per game. But getting to the NCAA Tournament depends on a process that happens behind closed doors.
Conference supervisors send watchlists (20 names per conference) three times during the regular season to Penny Davis, the NCAA national coordinator of officiating, and four regional advisors. The lists are private — even officials don’t know if they’re on them until they’re evaluated — and the NCAA can only evaluate officials included on them.
Multiple officials and coaches said the secrecy in this process has allowed for favoritism in the regular season — or at least the perception of it. Without a regulated and transparent system that shows why someone is receiving a certain schedule, or why an official is qualified for the postseason (or not), speculation has run rampant.
“There’s got to be more oversight of how the officiating is assigned,” said one longtime coach.
This lack of transparency in scheduling can cause particular frustration when conference supervisors select an official who is a family member, romantic partner or close friend. In the SEC, Mattingly oversees and assigns her longtime partner. The conference told The Athletic it believed those assignments were consistent with the officials’ credentials and reputation. Mattingly declined to comment.
From 2018-24 (excluding the shortened 2020-21 season), Broderick’s daughter was the only official who averaged at least 80 games a year, a lucrative schedule, a number of them in conferences ultimately run by her mother — according to PhillyRef.com, an independent website that tracks officials’ assignments — but never officiated an NCAA Tournament game, a decision made separately from her mother.
A Big Ten spokesperson and Big 12 spokesperson told The Athletic that Broderick doesn’t oversee, assign or evaluate her daughter, who instead reports to her assistant coordinator. The Big Ten lauded Broderick’s “remarkable character and leadership.” The Big 12 said, “While we are consistently working to evolve our women’s basketball officiating and ensure it is best in class, we have been pleased with the evaluation structure and assignment processes Patty Broderick and her consortium utilize.” Broderick declined to comment.
Another issue raised by officials and coaches is that coordinators’ philosophies seem to be at odds.
Mattingly is quoted in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame as saying: “It is a fine balance between art and science in officiating. We don’t want a game where officials call everything they see.” But Williamson said last season that officials should call “all the rules all the time.”
So, which is it?
“Some supervisors want to call it a certain way. Other supervisors don’t want you to call what you just worked the night before for another supervisor,” said one official. “It is challenging at times to adjust.”
Inconsistencies — from game-to-game, conference-to-conference and regular-season-to-postseason — were the biggest frustration for coaches interviewed by The Athletic.
That can become particularly evident in the postseason, when officials from different conferences are on the floor together.
What might you get in that scenario?
Something like a national title game between LSU and Iowa in which Caitlin Clark was called for a technical foul for delay of game while rolling the ball away on a dead ball situation and Kim Mulkey, who made contact with an official, was not.
“You (had) three officials on two different pages,” said one official with 25 years of college officiating experience, adding: “Because we’re not trained the same … you’re going to get a different game when you have referees from different areas.”
When asked about whether officials from different conferences appear to officiate differently in the NCAA Tournament, Davis said she thought “that narrative or that line exists probably in all sports,” and that her emphasis is that officials should “enforce the rules as written.”
Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo (with head coach Niele Ivey) missed more than four minutes of a 2024 Sweet 16 game when officials forced her to remove her nose ring, which she had worn without issue throughout the season. (Sarah Stier/ Getty Images)
No true development or feedback system
Officiating in that 2023 LSU-Iowa national title game didn’t just draw outrage from fans and media critiques; it also prompted the NCAA to fast-track an NCAA Tournament officiating review, known as the Pictor Report, that had been scheduled for the following year. For the report, the Pictor Group reviewed documents and conducted interviews that included Davis, conference supervisors and regional advisors, but did not interview any officials or coaches.
The Athletic viewed a copy of this six-page report, which said that the NCAA’s officiating program was “run with integrity.” The report offered six observations and identified areas to improve, including increased communication, tightening the watchlists (and urging the NCAA to “articulate clearer expectations for placing an official on the list”) and adjusting how the officiating crews were selected. Holzman said the NCAA has acted on the group’s recommendations.
In the ensuing months, the NCAA oversight committee, WBCA stewardship committee and a small group at the 2024 Final Four received briefings on the report. However, the full report was never made public or broadly shown to coaches and other key stakeholders. None of the coaches The Athletic interviewed for this story had seen a full copy of the report.
“It’s disconcerting to know that whatever information was gleaned from that (report) has been kept out of the hands of coaches, athletic directors and anyone else,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “I’d be curious as to why.”
When asked why the Pictor Report was never published publicly in full, like some previous NCAA reports (including the Kaplan report and a 2020 Pictor officiating report), Holzman said, “This was something that I asked to be done for the benefit of myself as I lead and direct in these areas.”
Officials hear frustrations from coaches, fans and players. Many say they need to be provided with better tools to do their job well. Namely: More feedback and a developmental system.
“I had no idea where I stood in any of this,” said one official with NCAA Tournament experience. “Tell me where I stand, so that I can make a change. … You don’t get that.”
Currently, there is no standardized on-court training for officials, nor do they get thorough and personalized reviews of their work. Even when Davis and regional advisors return comprehensive evaluations for NCAA Tournament inclusion, officials generally do not get to see them (with the exception of those in the MEAC, run by longtime NBA official Tony Brothers). Holzman said the NCAA is seeking “greater assurances that those evaluation reports are getting into the hands of the officials themselves.” Additionally, feedback given by coaches to conference supervisors after each game doesn’t get returned to officials.
None of the officials interviewed by The Athletic had received play-call percentages from their conference or the NCAA. In-season, feedback mostly consists of time-stamped game clips, but whether or when officials receive those varies. Officials working for Williamson said they often receive clips several weeks after a game has passed.
The officials who spoke to The Athletic largely found the trainings and evaluations that are available to be insufficient, especially for mid-career officials, including a general, numbered feedback form from Broderick; crew-chief training from Mattingly (which needs to be attended only once); occasional video calls during the season with the NCAA and conference officials; and open-book quizzes during the season. To officiate in the NCAA Tournament, officials must attend a five-hour NCAA clinic (with no on-court training) and pass a 100-question, untimed, open book exam ahead of the season. In recent years, the NCAA has hosted a free clinic at the Final Four, geared toward early-career and lower-division officials, as well as an event for 100 officials at the college basketball academies.
Conference supervisors host summer camps for officials, and often market these as developmental opportunities. However, multiple officials said the feedback isn’t consistent across camps, and for many early- and mid-level officials, the camps can be barriers to advancement because of the cost (generally between $350 and $525). They fear that choosing not to go could result in a loss of assigned games and wages.
“If you don’t go to camp,” said one veteran official, “you set yourself back two years. … It’s pay to play.”
Most officials said the only way to know how they’ve performed in one season is to wait until they receive their schedule for the next season.
“Are you getting more conference games? Are you getting better matchups?” said one official with more than 20 years of college experience. “If you lose a bunch, if you’re down 10 to 15 to 20 games, you need to figure out what you’re doing wrong. Unfortunately, that’s on us to figure out. We’re not told.”
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argues a call during the 2022 NCAA Tournament. (Sean Elliot / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
An uncertain path for officials
The NCAA has acknowledged it needs a larger pool of officials, but many officials say that uncertainty and inequities in salary and scheduling can make it a less appealing career.
In 2022, the NCAA began to pay officials the same amount for tournament games, but not all conferences pay women’s and men’s officials equally.
The Athletic asked all 31 conferences about officials’ pay equity. Nine conferences said they paid their men’s and women’s officials the same, five said they didn’t, six declined to disclose and the others didn’t respond to multiple requests. Of those offering equal pay, more than half said they had only started doing so in the past few years; the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten pay their officials equally, but none would say how long that’s been the case.
Even with pay disparities, officiating can be a lucrative career for those with the busiest schedules. The most-used officials can earn more than $250,000 before expenses during the season, though many make significantly less (and work other jobs to supplement incomes).
But as seasonal independent contractors, officials also accept uncertainty.
In September, officials rank the conferences that have hired them in order of which they most want to work for — but without knowing how many games they might receive or how much they’ll make per game in that conference. Ultimately, they don’t know their schedules, or how much they’ll earn that season, until a few weeks before tipoff.
Officials are paid a lump sum per game — all expenses come out of that. So, if an official is assigned to games within driving distance of their home, they’ll earn more than an official who has to travel and pay for flights, hotels, rental cars and meals.
Another scheduling frustration officials raised: more assignments for younger, less experienced officials. This season, one official with no Division I basketball experience got their first two DI games in the ACC, an unusually prominent assignment for an official at that level. Another inexperienced official’s games more than doubled recently from 27 to 66, going from no power conference games to 15. One official’s games jumped from two in their first season to 38 in their third season.
“The problem now is we are advancing young officials at way too quick of a rate,” said one veteran official of regular season officiating jobs. “And it’s not their fault.”
Broderick, Mattingly and Williamson did not comment on less-experienced officials receiving heavier schedules.
In these scenarios, it’s often the more experienced officials who end up shouldering far more responsibility in games, which can tax their bandwidth and can lead to missed calls and lower morale.
“Then we start missing plays and the inconsistency begins,” said one former official. “It’s one thing to mentor officials who are moving into new levels, but mentoring is very different from teaching on the job — which is what is happening, and is very evident.”
Where does the sport go from here?
Through the embarrassments and frustrations, administrators, coaches and officials ask: Where does the buck stop?
The Pictor Report calls for greater communication and transparency in different systems, and many in the sport — coaches, officials, administrators — agree more clarity and communication is needed. The NCAA may have implemented the report’s recommendations, but that hasn’t included a consistent public response to officiating blunders the past few seasons, or ensuring that the broader basketball community is aware of steps taken to eliminate these errors.
In 2016, after an incorrect call in the Sweet 16 kept Gonzaga’s men’s team from advancing, the NCAA called coach Mark Few to apologize for the mistake. Not so on the women’s side. A source close to Iowa confirmed that Davis never reached out to discuss the officiating in the 2023 NCAA title game. Auriemma said that he had never heard from anyone at the NCAA after a tournament game, including the divisive screen call at the end of the 2024 Final Four game against Iowa.
Coaches have made suggestions for improvement. Some mentioned adopting “two-minute reports,” similar to the NBA, which releases detailed reports on every call made in the final two minutes of games that were within three points (the WNBA does not do this). Others wanted to see transparency around play-calling percentages and how that corresponds to assignments.
Officials and conference sources said they’d like to regularly see game call percentages, ensure NCAA’s officiating evaluations get to officials, have more consistency across leagues and see more transparency in scheduling.
Davis said she also has suggested that conferences provide free summer training for staff officials. “As we’re investing in the game and investing in all parts of it, officiating shouldn’t be overlooked,” she said.
At a time when the game is better than ever, with television audiences hitting record viewership and attendance up across the country, getting officiating up to speed with the game should be the NCAA’s highest priority.
“(Good reffing) is everything,” said one ACC coach. “To me, it’s the integrity of the game.”
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Top photo: Jay LaPrete / Getty Images
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