Report: NBA, players to meet next week

As a canceled season comes closer to being a reality, the NBA and the players' association have agreed to meet again next week with the hope of reaching a new collective bargaining agreement to end the lockout, Sports Illustrated reported Thursday night, citing sources.

After a Wednesday meeting in New York, NBPA president Derek Fisher said "both sides [are] feeling a sense of urgency" to reach a solution that may save the NBA season.

Sources told Sports Illustrated that next week's meeting, the third since the lockout started July 1, will be held Wednesday or Thursday and will only include a small number of representatives from each side.

Training camps are scheduled to begin Oct. 1, while the NBA preseason schedule is set to tip off Oct. 9. Neither will go ahead unless a new CBA is signed.

NBA commissioner David Stern has said he believes the NBA team owners' offers to the NBPA will only get lower if they lose money on canceled games.