The immediate future of the NBA may be decided in just six weeks when a crucial bargaining session takes place during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.

There has been little progress since players submitted their counterproposal to owners at the end of June.

If owners feel a lockout is the only way to get players to cave, there will be one.

"After a year, the players will come back with $2.1 billion less in their pockets," a participant in past negotiations told Ken Berger of CBS Sports. "Who has more leverage now?"

"Owners and league negotiators believe they can compel the players to give enough ground without a work stoppage because it should be obvious to the players that the union [and thus many of the players] will run out of money after the first pay period of the 2011-12 season," Berger wrote.

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James would lose a combined $30 million if the entire 2011-12 season was wiped out, according to Berger.

The source added that a lockout will likely be all or nothing.

"Once you go through the initial pain to shut it down," the person said, "they're out for the year."