Michele Roberts is optimistic the NBA and its players can avoid a work stoppage.

"Sitting down at a table already now with the NBA to understand what worries the owners and what worries the players," said Roberts. "In the past very few attempts to speak in advance of the problems that led to the lockouts have been made. Whether both commissioner (Adam) Silver and myself want to do everything possible to prevent the NBA to stop: the only way is to negotiate. We have already started, we will meet again in early September with the hope to announce within the end of the season that the union and the league have solved their problems."

The NBA had a lockout in 2011 that lasted from July until December.