David Stern is willing to meet with Billy Hunter and may be open to tweaking key system issues, in a last-minute attempt to strike a deal with the players before the league removes its offer Wednesday at 5 p.m. EST.

So far Hunter has not accepted the meeting, for reasons that are unknown.

On Saturday, Hunter reportedly told the league that the players may be willing to entertain a 50-50 deal, even though the union had just offered 51 percent for the players. It is not clear whether Hunter misspoke or tipped his hand.

The decertification movement appears to be gaining strength. Just 30 percent of players need to sign a petition to put decertification to a vote but supporters believe they may end up with the signatures of half the league.

“We want a show of force with the percentage who sign the petition,” one agent said.

On the other side, the hardline owners who appear to be tying Stern's hands remain convinced that the league has ceded too much ground to the players and wanted to give a shorter window of just 24 hours for the union to accept the 50-50 deal.

Ultimately the hardliners may be hoping the union rejects the league's proposal, after which they can demand a new CBA that more heavily favors the owners' economic interests.