After two days and roughly 20 hours of meeting, NBA players and owners concluded their talks Thursday night in New York. The owners made a revised offer to the players which includes a 72-game season starting on December 15. Though commissioner David Stern wouldn't specifically characterize the latest proposal as a last, best offer, he did make clear it's their best offer, for now.
"We have made our revised proposal and aren't planning on another one," Stern said. "Just as the clock had stopped at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, it would remain stopped through the meeting with the board."
Players Association president Derek Fisher noted that while there was some movement from the league, there wasn't enough to get a deal done at this time.
NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter said he would meet with all 30 player representatives by Monday or Tuesday next week. "It's not the greatest proposal in the world, but I have an obligation to at least present it to our membership," Hunter said.
If the players don't accept the proposal next week, Stern said the league would submit a new proposal, including a 47% split of basketball related income (BRI) for the players, the same one he threatened with his ultimatum earlier this week.
NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said the logistics of a 72-game season would require moving the playoffs and NBA Finals back by roughly a week, and Stern noted that the league has been in constant contact with several partners such as broadcasters and arenas as the schedule gets changed.
While the negotiations might be frustrating, it appears that the players aren't going to get a better offer than they have now and the two sides are close enough that the players could cave and accept the offer, rather than risk losing the season. But we won't know until early next week.