Adam Silver hopes WNBA players will move to a ‘next-level sense of urgency’ in the labor fight

From his experience with labor negotiations, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver knows that these matters often come down to the proverbial eleventh hour — something, he admitted Saturday, that the WNBA comes very close to doing.

And while he’s not yet ready to set a date for the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, Silver admitted that “what I would like to accomplish is putting pressure on everyone.”

“I’m encouraged that there has been more back and forth in recent weeks,” Silver said during his press conference at All-Star Weekend. “I think there is a more direct involvement from players and team owners. I haven’t had a seat at the table, but I am very involved behind the scenes. I want to play whatever role would be most productive to get a deal done, but I think we need to move to the next level of urgency now and not lose momentum in terms of the amazing amount of progress we’ve seen with women’s basketball.”

Silver noted that the WNBA must fit in its collegiate draft, an expansion draft and free agency before training camps begin in about two months, and negotiations between the league and the players’ union have continued since the Aces won the title in October.

Last Friday, the WNBPA received the league’s counter-proposal, six weeks after the players’ union submitted theirs, and gaps still exist in negotiations.

The WNBA has proposed a salary increase to $5.65 million for next season, but that is well below the $10.5 million amount the players’ union wants, according to The Post’s Madeline Kenney.

Players also want 30 percent of gross revenue, but the league has presented only 70 percent of net revenue share — or about 15 percent of gross revenue, according to Kenney.

On February 2, a face-to-face meeting between members of both parties took place in a promising sign, after negotiations between the latest proposal and the counter-proposal had stalled. But teams are running out of time to avoid delaying the start of the season.

And all of that prompted Silver’s comments on Saturday about recognizing the increased pressure to get it done.

“I think it’s unfortunate where we’re at right now, both from the team and from the players,” Silver said. “I mean, we’re coming off a tremendous momentum in the WNBA – it’s not lost on anyone. I feel like the league has turned a corner especially in the last few years in terms of fan interest, commercial success and player popularity.”

“I mean, all the arrows are pointing up in terms of the WNBA, and as someone who has been involved from the beginning, now that we’re going into our 30th season, I couldn’t be prouder. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of that movement.”