The owners put forth a new number on the split of revenues, or basketball-related income, on Thursday, a step that could help propel the talks forward, according to a source.

"It's moving," said another person with knowledge of the talks. "Not as fast as some people would want, but it's moving."

After signaling last week that the players' offer to move lower than the 54.3 percent share of BRI was a starting point that could lead to a deal on economics, league negotiators came back with their own number. The union found the number "unacceptable" and both sides addressed the media with pessimissm.

The owners' number, one of the people familiar with the details said, represented a willingness to move off their most recent formal proposal to cap player salaries at $2 billion a year for the bulk of a 10-year proposal.