The destination is the key, the judge agrees with the players and that's apparent from her designation of the courts as the mediation site, which is what the players had asked for and owners opposed. The judge also apparently agrees that the players decertification is valid and the Labor Mediation Board option is no longer appropriate, which goes against the owners claim that the decertification is a "sham" and that the Labor Mediation Board option is the right one.
This puts appropriate pressure on the owners to deal fairly as I would expect the mediating judge to report back to Judge Nelson on the efforts of both sides, and if I'm reading this correctly then I think she is going to rule in favor of the players on anti-trust violations if there is no deal reached. We'll see how it plays out but hopefully this gets a deal done without the Judge having to rule on anti-trust and awarding damages. This doesn't ensure that a deal will be reached or that the owners will deal fairly but it does put pressure on them in that regard. Ultimately they may prefer to allow her to rule and appeal the decision to a federal appellate court that is owner friendly, and by doing so push back the calender so players start losing checks because at that point the players are likely to fold.