NCAA's House settlement era begins, shaking up college athletics as some schools opt out
It's the death of the NCAA's longstanding amateur model, certain to cause headaches and disputes among powerhouse and small-time programs alike. Scattered among them, however, is a handful of schools that have decided to wait it out at least a year to see how things develop, including legal risks and Title IX concerns.
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New York Times
19 minutes ago
- New York Times
NBA projects 7 percent growth for cap
NBA free agency is moving quickly but a number of key players remain, including a multi-time All-Star rehabbing a torn Achilles. Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images While everyone is focusing on free agency, the league sent out a memo to teams today saying that it is projecting 7 percent growth for the salary cap for the 2026-27 season. The league is pegging it, right now, at $165 million. And the projected tax level is at $200 million. Those are approximate estimates as of right now. But they're also worth keeping in mind since teams aren't just thinking year to year in the offseason. That 7 percent raise in the cap is a little smaller than originally projected. Most everyone was assuming it would be 10 percent because of the new national media rights deal. NBA teams will get about $140 million each in national media rights fees for the 2025-26 season, and it will go up to about $290 million. But payouts per team are not jumping quickly enough to keep everything going up 10 percent, probably in part because of a downturn in the local TV market. The Utah Jazz are guaranteeing Svi's Mykhailiuk's $3.68 million contract next season, per league sources. HoopsHype was first to report. Svi will be back with the Jazz for one more season. The Houston Rockets are re-signing veterans Jeff Green and Aaron Holiday to one-year deals at the veteran's minimum, team sources told The Athletic. To John's point below about Bobby Marks' report, so many contracts and extensions feature maximum eight percent raises. If the cap rises by only seven percent in 2026-27, that will mean many contracts will be growing faster than the cap. That changes the math for everything, and might lead to more regret from around the league. The more newsworthy salary-cap item is the report by ESPN's Bobby Marks that next year's cap will only rise by 7 percent, and not the maximal 10 percent. This is important because the same percentage raise impacts the tax and apron lines. Teams had budgeted for another 10 percent rise, but now must change their projections downward for the luxury tax and aprons by roughly $5 million apiece. There is something inherently funny about the NBA announcing the salary cap and luxury tax levels for the next season hours (or minutes) before free agency begins. Sure, this year, it didn't matter because it's been known for a while that the cap would just jump 10 percent from last year. But this actually has mattered in years past. The NBA and the NBPA spend about a week at the end of the fiscal league year hammering out the Basketball Related Income and getting these numbers. Then, they get it to the teams as soon as they possibly can. It's a very harried process. Every cent matters as teams do their financial planning, and it just happens to not be 100 percent clear until the end. Every team in the NBA had budgeted for this exact cap number. The year-to-year raises in the salary cap have a 10 percent celling under the 2023 CBA, while the league's new TV deal ensured that this year's number would have otherwise blown right pass that limit. The NBA has announced that the salary cap for the 2025-26 season will be $154.647 million. The luxury tax threshold is at $187.895 million. The first apron is at $195.945 million. The second apron is at $207.824 million. The non-taxpayer midlevel exception will be worth $14.104 million, the taxpayer MLE is $5.685 million, and the room MLE is $8.781 million. GO FURTHER NBA free-agency 2025 primer: Key free agents, explaining the aprons and more Getty Images G, Nets Age: 23 BORD$: $23,390,386 Much like D'Angelo Russell, Thomas' value is an extremely divisive topic because he is so dependent on generating tough 2-point jump shots and offers little in the non-scoring categories. However, he was more efficient last season (57.5 true shooting percentage), and his sheer shot-creation volume provides a solid floor for an offense. On a rebuilding team, the key variable in Thomas' favor is that he is still only 23, so theoretically, his best years remain ahead. The other, even more crucial variable is that his cap hold is only $12.1 million. As with Russell above, the Nets will do their other business and then sign Thomas' contract once they have absorbed other contracts into the rest of their cap room. (Note that they may agree on a contract earlier, but they can drag their feet on signing it and submitting it to the league.) Given that Thomas is basically free money against the cap and the Nets have little risk of ending up all the way into the tax, Brooklyn is pretty heavily incentivized to re-sign him to a front-loaded deal with 8 percent annual declines that would make him a favorable value in the final two years of the deal. For example, a four-year, $100 million deal would start at $28.41 million in 2025-26 — likely taking the Nets right to the tax line — but just $21.6 million in 2028-29 for Thomas' age-27 season. Thomas is a restricted free agent, but that distinction borders on irrelevant in a market where nobody else has cap space, and Thomas figures to make more than the nontaxpayer MLE. GO FURTHER LeBron? Harden? Kuminga? The Top 25 NBA free agents for the 2025 offseason A late entrant to the market after taking a buyout from Utah, Jordan Clarkson grades out as a good-minimum get, according to my BORD$ formula. He will have the chance to play on a team that is actually trying to win for the first time in three years. His shooting numbers dove south the past two seasons, and he made just 44.8 percent of his 2s in the 2024-25 season. He's also 33 years old and not exactly renowned for his defense. But Clarkson still provides a jolt of shot creation off the bench and can be hard to stop when he's cooking. Contenders in need of backcourt depth could do a lot worse. Getty Images G, Nets Age: 29 BORD$: $23,898,145 Russell's brand has taken a beating since he didn't fit in L.A. and has been exposed defensively in the postseason. But he's a good scorer and shooter whose shortcomings might be perceived differently if he were cast as a high-usage sixth man rather than a starting point guard. Russell was also outlier bad from 3 last year (a career low 31.4 percent), but that isn't the way to bet going forward. The Nets will have full Bird rights on him in addition to their jillions in cap space; while he doesn't exactly fit Brooklyn's timeline, re-signing him to use as a trade piece either in-season or next summer makes sense from a cap perspective and adds some floor for Brooklyn's offense as the Nets rebuild. Notably, if Brooklyn struggles to find other uses for its cap space, it could sign Russell to a bloated one-year deal with a non-guaranteed second year, one that would effectively operate as a trade exception to use in-season or even next summer. Russell's cap hold is $28 million, but the Nets could pay him the max if they wanted; as long as they set aside $28 million of their cap space for his hold, they can finish their other business and then go as high as they want on Russell. Note that keeping Russell and Cam Thomas (below) on their books would take the Nets down to $40 million in room — still likely plenty for what they have planned this offseason. GO FURTHER LeBron? Harden? Kuminga? The Top 25 NBA free agents for the 2025 offseason F, Grizzlies Age: 24 BORD$: $25,631,532 Aldama is a restricted free agent this offseason. Memphis is likely to bring back Aldama because his low cap hold is a key part of the Grizzlies' strategy. Memphis can park his $11 million salary-cap hold on its sheet and have enough space to renegotiate and extend Jaren Jackson Jr.'s contract, then coming back to re-sign Aldama to a new deal. The tricky part is how much they're willing to pay Aldama when he overlaps at an already strong position on the Memphis roster and other needs lay waiting. The counterargument would be that this is why Memphis has to re-sign Aldama. In addition to the Jackson strategy above, his contract would need to be the matching salary for virtually any starting-caliber player whom Memphis would acquire in-season. I don't think there's enough money out there this summer to hit the BORD$ figure above, unless the Nets get wild. However, something around three years and $60 million to $65 million — especially if it's a front-loaded deal with 8 percent annual declines — would give the Grizzlies enough cap ballast to keep all its trade options open down the line. GO FURTHER LeBron? Harden? Kuminga? The Top 25 NBA free agents for the 2025 offseason Cary Edmondson / Imagn Sources from three different rival teams have linked the Lakers to De'Anthony Melton as we near the official start of free agency. The expectation is that there's strong mutual interest. Melton, 27, missed the majority of last season with a partially torn ACL. Getty Images G, Kings Age: 25 BORD$: $24,714,831 Ellis has a non-guaranteed team option for 2025-26. Ellis is a valuable player on a cheapo contract for at least one more season, making just $2.3 million on the final year of his minimum deal. The Kings can extend his contract for up to four years and $85 million and absolutely should be looking at doing this given his 3-and-D profile. Even if Ellis overlaps some with Zach LaVine, an extended contract for him at $18 million to $20 million a pop should still have positive trade value. (Also, LaVine isn't good enough to be driving long-term strategy for a non-contender.) One other option for the Kings would be to 'decline-and-sign,' essentially throwing a bone to Ellis by declining his $2.3 million option for this year and turning it into a $14.5 million deal via early Bird rights, with a total package of four years and $65 million and a fourth-year player option. That could create a short-term tax issue for the Kings depending on some other roster choices, but long term, this is a much cleaner way to build the team over the coming seasons and removes some tax concerns in 2027 and 2028. GO FURTHER LeBron? Harden? Kuminga? The Top 25 NBA free agents for the 2025 offseason C, Pacers Age: 29 BORD$: $31,329,931 Myles Turner might be the most contentious free-agent negotiation of the summer. Between his unrestricted status, the lack of competing cap-space teams, the Pacers' accomplishments this season, Indiana's potential tax and apron issues if it pays him big money and the fact his deal cannot be extended before he hits free agency … all the ingredients seem to be there for a prolonged staredown that ends with hurt feelings. Turner's BORD$ value is $31 million; while there is no chance of him getting this much in a market with no viable alternate suitors, it does indicate a figure for the Pacers to at least approach if they want him to sign for multiple years. Is three years for $75 million to $80 million fair? Even at $25 million a pop, Turner's next deal would take the Pacers sailing past the first apron and represent a first-ever foray into the tax for Indiana. That's for 2025-26; extending Bennedict Mathurin could push the Pacers to the second apron in 2026-27. Some tough decisions will need to be made at some point about other spots on the roster, but if you're not willing to pay the luxury tax for the franchise's best team in a quarter century, sell it to someone who will. Finally, note that Turner is eligible for a no-trade clause, although I doubt he has the juice to get one. GO FURTHER LeBron? Harden? Kuminga? The Top 25 NBA free agents for the 2025 offseason Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn With free agency a few hours away, the LA Clippers basically have only two spots on the roster that need to be addressed: ball handling and frontcourt help. Those were the areas that president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank outlined days after the Clippers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the West quarterfinals. The 8-man rotation that finished the Clippers-Nuggets series is intact after the team agreed to terms with All-NBA point guard James Harden and veteran reserve forward Nicolas Batum. Both players declined their player options and secured raises for next season. The Clippers also have their last five draft picks who will be under team control: 2025 picks Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Kobe Sanders (a likely 2-way contract), 2024 second round pick Cam Christie, and 2023 picks Kobe Brown and Jordan Miller (nonguaranteed but fully expected to return). Amir Coffey and Ben Simmons are incumbent free agents, and while both were rotation players entering the postseason, they were both out of the mix by the end of the Denver series. In Coffey's case, he didn't play a single minute in the playoffs. Coffey and Simmons are both expected to get better offers elsewhere than they will from the Clippers, with Simmons in particular looking at teams with exceptions; he's not looking for a minimum deal. Veteran Patty Mills is also a free agent, while center Drew Eubanks has a nonguaranteed contract that could be used in a potential trade. What happens with Eubanks is to be determined, but he might be a long shot to make it to Week 1 if the Clippers add another veteran center. Teams can have a maximum of 21 players under contract in the offseason. The Clippers tendered one of last year's two-way contract players, Trentyn Flowers, so he is a restricted free agent who is expected to return. The other two-way contracts that ended last season, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Seth Lundy, are still on those contracts. The Clippers also added undrafted rookies John Poulakidas and Jahmyl Telfort, though LA likes to wait to officially sign Exhibit 10 contracts while they do other business. So if the Clippers add two players, likely a backup point guard and a backup center, that will put them at 21 players, including Eubanks and the four 2025 rookies. LA has the nontaxpayer midlevel exception to work with, a little over $14 million. Look for them to use that on Harden and Ivica Zubac insurance. Any other positions would signal that a trade would likely be necessary to balance the roster. Adam Glanzman / Getty Images The Warriors' front office will be stationed in Los Angeles at the start of free agency, as has been their recent custom. They quickly pursued De'Anthony Melton at the start of last summer's free agency and, team sources said, they will be on the recruiting trail for veteran help again in the opening hours on Monday afternoon. Team sources have identified a stretch center as a high priority. Many in the league continue to link Al Horford to the Warriors as a preferred target. If the Warriors use the taxpayer midlevel exception (projected at around $5.7 million) on Horford or another free agent, they'll be hard-capped at the second apron, currently projected at $207.8 million. Page 2
New York Times
23 minutes ago
- New York Times
A fresh milestone for Clayton Kershaw tonight? Plus, Ken Rosenthal's All-Star picks
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. Clayton Kershaw is on the doorstep of an exclusive club — will he close the door behind him? Plus: Ken's All-Star squad, our Trade Deadline Urgency Index moves to version 2.0, and I sure hope those 24 baseballs were worth it, man. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup! As old men of the game go, Clayton Kershaw is hardly in Rich Hill territory — Hill is 45 and on a minor-league deal with the Royals. But while time is the most inevitable source of wear and tear, there are others. How about innings pitched? Kershaw, 37, has pitched 2,781 1/3 (Hill is at 1,409). That total trails only Justin Verlander (3,483 1/3, 42 years old) and Max Scherzer (2,891, 40). It's the same order for active strikeout leaders — Verlander has 3,471 and Scherzer has 3,419. Kershaw, who will start tonight's game against the White Sox, currently sits at 2,997. Barring some catastrophe, No. 3,000 should come tonight. Sure, strikeout rates are significantly higher now than they were in the days of Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson and others. But among the retired members of the 3,000-K club, here are some pertinent averages: Seasons: 21.53 Innings per season: 212.43 Last year, not a single big-league pitcher threw 212 innings — only four reached 200. And that's to say nothing of the fact that it's now borderline routine for starting pitchers to lose a full season to Tommy John surgery at some point in their career. Sure, it's a different game (more strikeouts) now. It's also a different game (fewer innings pitched). Is Kershaw *ahem* the last of his kind? From my latest column: I've picked my 64 All-Stars. As always, I'm adhering to the rule that every club must be represented and that each All-Star team must feature 20 position players and 12 pitchers, at least three of whom are relievers. Readers will howl over this injustice or that, but by now, everyone should know better. Advertisement Even the league's official announcement of the full rosters Sunday should only be considered a first draft. Players will bow out because of injuries, real and imagined, pitchers starts and other issues, real and imagined. A year ago, 77 players — nearly one-tenth of the league — were named All-Stars. If your favorite gets snubbed, just wait. He will still be only one phone call away from heading to Atlanta. In making my choices, I was largely governed by what I wrote a year ago: I'm something of an Entertainment Truther. Yes, I try to honor first-half performance. But let's not forget, this game is a promotional vehicle, not a declaration of WAR. I want the biggest names, the rising stars, the players most likely to evoke oohs and aahs. Of course some will find inconsistencies in my choices, but life is full of inconsistencies. I won't pretend this list is perfect. Consider it merely a starting point for whatever argument you want to make, about any player you want to make. My starters are denoted by asterisks. All statistics cited are through the end of June. As always, your vitriol is welcome in replies to this email or at my X handle, @Ken_Rosenthal. AMERICAN LEAGUE Starting pitchers *Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers Hunter Brown, Houston Astros Max Fried, New York Yankees Garret Crochet, Boston Red Sox Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals Shane Smith, Chicago White Sox Notable omissions: Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals; Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays; Carlos Rodón, New York Yankees; Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins; Framber Valdez, Houston Astros; Bryan Woo, Seattle Mariners. Rasmussen, who has overcome three major elbow surgeries to rank ninth in the AL in ERA, would be an inspired selection. But I chose Smith, a Rule 5 pick who was fantastic until his three most recent starts, over first baseman/third baseman Miguel Vargas, who recovered well from a difficult first month. Neither is particularly deserving, but every team must be represented, by golly, so here we are. See the rest of the list here. Public service announcement: The trade deadline is 29 days away. Today's Trade Deadline Urgency Index (2.0) takes a look at who needs what the most, and what's changed since version 1.0. A few notes: More deadline analysis: On Monday night in Arizona, a fan reached over the wall to swipe a (maybe?) home run hit by Giants third baseman Christian Koss. Initially ruled fan interference — resulting in an out call — replay review determined the fan had not actually touched Diamondbacks center fielder Tim Tawa. It was ruled a double. A home run would have tied the game. But the run never scored. The Giants lost 4-2. Advertisement Clips of the play made the rounds on social media, leading to the discovery that this was not the fan's first indiscretion at the outfield wall. The guy's name is Dave McCaskill, and apparently he has a reputation for doing this. From this story by Doug Haller and Andrew Baggarly: '(McCaskill) said he had caught 24 home run balls during his time as a Diamondbacks season ticket holder. Some of those have prompted umpire reviews for potential interference. Including Monday night, he said he had been ejected from the park twice …' One instance of over-exuberance is understandable. But c'mon, man. You can't keep doing that. McCaskill did apologize to team security as he was escorted from the field Monday. But the Diamondbacks had seen enough. 'This particular fan … is prohibited from returning to Chase Field for the remainder of 2025. This fan will have the opportunity to return to Chase Field in 2026 so long as he meets certain terms and abides by our Fan Code of Conduct.' Hope the baseballs were worth it? I love old baseball cards. So I absolutely loved this story by Michael Salfino about the case of the mystery missing baseball card — that didn't exist until customer demand forced it into existence. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is an above-average second baseman and a below-average third baseman. So why are the Yankees keeping him there to accommodate an ineffective DJ LeMahieu? Another bad-news day for the Astros: Days after Jeremy Peña suffered a rib fracture, Yordan Alvarez was supposed to ramp up his rehab process today. Instead, he's seeing a hand specialist after a setback. Yesterday, we told you about a bizarre Orioles-Rangers game that resulted in Jack Leiter taking an 11th-inning at-bat. Last night, I spoke to Leiter and manager Bruce Bochy about how that unexpected process played out. The Giants' struggles won't cost manager Bob Melvin his job: The team has exercised its option on his 2026 contract. Yesterday was Bobby Bonilla Day. Salutations to all who celebrate. Jenna West and Dan Shanoff explain the contract, why deferrals happen and tell us about a few other notable deferrals. Brooks Peck hands out some entertaining superlatives for the various bobblehead giveaways around baseball this year. Steve Soderstrom's big-league career lasted just 10 days with the Giants in 1996. It makes him appreciate his son Tyler's career with the A's even more. Advertisement On the pods: The 'Rates & Barrels' crew looks at the three division leaders in the NL and checks in on the Nats' rebuild. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Evan Drellich's story on Rob Manfred's plan for CBA negotiations. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
EA Sports College Football 26 player rankings: Who are best in video game?
Who are the top players in college football? EA Sports is giving possible answers. With College Football 26 set to be released July 10 − July 7 for early access − EA Sports announced the top offensive and defensive players in the game, as well as who is at the top of each position. Advertisement It should be no surprise the top of the list include Heisman Trophy contenders, including the cover athletes of the game in Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and Alabama receiver Ryan Williams. Other notable people include the other stars of major programs like Notre Dame, Texas and Clemson. While the rankings don't mean a team will actually have success in the upcoming season, it does give a good indicator of who are the top College Football Playoff contenders. Here are the top players in EA Sports College Football 26: What to expect in College Football 26?: EA Sports production director explains EA Sports College Football 26 top offensive players Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State, receiver: 98 overall Ryan Williams, Alabama, receiver: 95 overall Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame, running back: 95 overall Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State, receiver: 94 overall Kadyn Proctor, Alabama, tackle: 94 overall Spencer Fano, Utah, tackle: 94 overall Ar'maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M, guard: 93 overall Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt, tight end: 93 overall Franicis Mauigoa, Miami, tackle: 93 overall Nicholas Singleton, Penn State, running back: 93 overall Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) reacts after scoring against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a touchdown during the first half the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. EA Sports College Football 26 top quarterbacks Cade Klubnik, Clemson: 92 overall Garrett Nussmeier, LSU: 92 overall Drew Allar, Penn State: 92 overall Sam Leavitt, Arizona State: 91 overall Lanorris Sellers, South Carolina: 91 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top running backs Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame: 95 overall Nicholas Singleton, Penn State: 93 overall Isaac Brown, Louisville: 93 overall Jonah Coleman, Washington: 93 overall Mahki Hughes, Oregon: 92 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top receivers Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State: 98 overall Ryan Williams, Alabama: 95 overall Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State: 94 overall Elijah Sarratt, Indiana: 93 overall Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech: 92 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top tight ends Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt: 93 overall Tanner Koziol, Houston: 92 overall Max Klare, Ohio State: 91 overall Oscar Delp, Georgia: 90 overall Jack Endries, Texas: 90 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, Alabama: 94 overall Spencer Fano, Utah: 94 overall Francis Mauigoa, Miami: 93 overall Ar'maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M: 93 overall Jordan Seaton, Colorado: 92 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top defensive players Caleb Downs, Ohio State, safety: 96 overall Anthony Hill Jr., Texas, linebacker: 95 overall T.J. Parker, Clemson, edge: 95 overall Dylan Stewart, South Carolina, edge: 94 overall Jermod McCoy, Tennessee, cornerback: 94 overall Peter Woods, Clemson, defensive tackle: 94 overall Colin Simmons, Texas, edge: 93 overall Leonard Moore, Notre Dame, cornerback: 93 overall Keldric Faulk, Auburn, edge: 93 overall Dillon Thieneman, Oregon, safety: 93 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top edge rushers T.J. Parker, Clemson: 95 overall Dylan Stewart, South Carolina: 94 overall Colin Simmons, Texas: 93 overall Keldric Faulk, Auburn: 93 overall David Bailey, Texas Tech: 93 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top defensive tackles Peter Woods, Clemson: 94 overall Christen Miller, Georgia: 92 overall Tim Keenan III, Alabama: 92 overall Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati: 92 overall Rayshaun Benny, Michigan: 91 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top linebackers Anthony Hill Jr., Texas: 95 overall Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh: 93 overall Suntarine Perkins, Mississippi: 93 overall Gabe Jacas, Illinois: 92 overall Austin Romaine, Kansas State: 92 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top cornerbacks Jermod McCoy, Tennessee: 94 overall Leonard Moore, Notre Dame: 93 overall Chandler Rivers, Duke: 93 overall Avieon Terrell, Clemson: 92 overall Malik Muhammad, Texas: 92 overall EA Sports College Football 26 top safeties Caleb Downs, Ohio State: 96 overall Dillon Thieneman, Oregon: 93 overall Rod Moore, Michigan: 92 overall Bud Clark, TCU: 92 overall Terry Moore, Duke: 92 overall This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: EA Sports College Football 26 player rankings: Top rated positions
