Due to the complexity of the issues that still remain on the table, one highly respected player representative has lost optimism that a new collective-bargaining agreement can be reached by Friday's deadline.
The player rep believes decertification or another extension on the negotiations is more likely Friday than the chances of reaching a new CBA.
"I can't imagine everything being worked out in two days unless [the owners] just backed off [their demands]," the player rep told NESN.com.
The primary issue is still the owners' financial transparency. Under the current CBA, the owners receive $1 billion off the top of the league's total revenue, and then the players receive 59.5 percent of the remaining revenue.
But going forward, the owners have asked for $2 billion off the top before the players get 59.5 percent of the remaining revenue. That demand appears to have decreased to $1.75 billion, but the owners haven't agreed to show the Players Union how they plan to spend the extra money. Until that happens, the players won't agree to the demands.
The rookie wage scale has reportedly been finalized Wednesday, but few details have emerged. The one final hurdle with that issue had to do with the length of rookie contracts. The players have pushed for a maximum of four-year deals for rookies, but the owners wanted five-year deals, which would obviously save them money in that fifth year. Neither side has worried all that much about agreeing to a rookie scale because both sides believe it benefits the league.
