Discussions on NBA Labor Agreement Resume Next Week

BEIJING (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he will resume discussions on the collective bargaining agreement soon after he returns from China, with two months before a crucial deadline.

Speaking before the NBA's second preseason game in China, Silver said he planned to hold meetings next week in an ongoing process that will include several team owners, National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts and Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, the players' association president.

Silver says all sides were "very engaged and eager to get a deal done."

The current agreement between the league and players runs through June 2021, but both sides have until Dec. 15 to express intent to opt out in 2017.

Silver also announced that the NBA would open development academies in three Chinese cities.