Just as a WNBA lockout seemed inevitable, a reported $2.2 billion media rights opportunity has emerged that could change the entire negotiation landscape.

ESPN revealed that it will be ready to give its primetime slots to the league, with the value of these games believed to be $2.2 billion. Basketball analyst Robin Lundberg recently weighed in on this news.

“Within the next couple of weeks, I would say liberally to get that done, and that would mess up that whole schedule. So you do wonder if outside forces play a role in leveraging those negotiations and those talks and making it happen faster. Is that something that could be the case? Because you have ESPN being like “Yo, come on. Let’s make this happen,” said Lundberg, stressing how important it is to get things sorted before the season starts, as time is running out.

If things need to move, they need to do so now because the next two weeks are really critical. The preseason games are to start from April, while the main season is supposed to get underway in May, and that is why all eyes are on the CBA now. Especially the big companies like Nike, which are also heavily invested in the company and want to keep things moving.

Now, ESPN too has found itself in the mix. ESPN will air a minimum of 25 regular-season contests, eight semifinal series, and five WNBA Finals over the lifetime of its contract. Now this would also be the first time that the WNBA will be covered by new media rights deals that form part of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) 11-year US$75 billion contracts with Amazon, ESPN, and NBC. So that makes this a very profitable association, and no WNBA player would probably want it to be jeopardized.

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The more the exposure, the more the revenue, and women’s basketball, as a result, will reap the benefits of higher earnings. And who knows, maybe with more coverage, the WNBA can find a way to generate a revenue even higher than $2.2 billion. So, will the deal finally happen?

WNBPA Vice President Napheesa Collier certainly believes it will and seems optimistic.

WNBPA CBA Negotiations Going In the Right Direction, Feels Collier

Well, one person who can ease the tension at this point is none other than Napheesa Collier. Collier has been someone who has been pretty hands-on with this whole CBA deal and knows the nitty-gritty of the proceedings. So when she hints at a positive development, people get hopeful.

“We are not where we want to be, but I think negotiations are trending in the right direction. And that’s what you want. You want movement. You don’t want to be in a stalemate. You want there to be hope for the future, and I do have that. I think there has to be a lot of movement in a lot of places in the CBA, but the fact that we are moving, I think, is really hopeful.” Collier said on Wednesday on Yahoo Sports’ Hoops 360 podcast.

Collier believes the WNBA is moving in the right direction and is making progress. The union is also trying to lower its demands to make the league come to an understanding as it dropped its proposed share of gross revenue from approximately 31% to 27.5% in Year 1. So it’s not that the players are adamant with their demands.

The league, however, is not willing to give a cut from the gross profit margin, but it is okay with cutting a slice from the net revenue, and that is exactly where the complication is stemming from, with a strike a real possibility looking like the next big step for the WNBA.

So there is a situation of uncertainty as well, and for that, contingencies have been made. Collier revealed that the union has urged everyone to save their money for the past year and a half, knowing negotiations were upcoming.

It’s just for the sake of being ready if things don’t materialize, but after everything that is happening, it does seem the WNBA and the WNBPA finalize the deal.