NBA Lockout Bargaining Session Scheduled For Monday, Says Report; David Stern, Billy Hunter To Participate

Read More: Derek Fisher (G - OKC)

The first bargaining session of the NBA lockout is indeed scheduled for Monday, reports ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan. SBNation.com reported Tuesday that the session would be held within the first two weeks of August (despite concerns it could be delayed further). SI.com's Zach Lowe reported on Wednesday that next week was the target, and that Monday was possible.

Sheridan reports that the heavy hitters -- NBA commissioner David Stern, deputy commissioner Adam Silver, San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt, players' union president Derek Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter -- will all participate. To date, meetings between the sides have been limited to mid-level staff and lawyers, who have been working to finalize the audit of the 2010-11 ledger. The results of that audit, noting a 4.8 percent increase in league revenue, came out last Friday.

Whether progress can be made before the league gets to the brink of canceling games -- the deadline for that would appear to be late September, when training camps are due to open, or early October, when preseason begins -- remains to be seen.