Vice President of the NBPA, Carmelo Anthony, said he is skeptical about reaching a CBA deal by Thursday.

“I’m skeptical of something getting done. Do I think something could happen by the 15th? Yeah, I think something could happen. But I think this kind of put a dent in conversations,” said Anthony in an interview with ESPN. “We had something so close. We were supposed to have a deal done weeks ago, and for this to happen at the 25th hour is tough.”

The admission from Anthony comes as a surprise to many NBA analysts and reporters. There has been a long, uninterrupted wave of optimism surrounding the Collective Bargaining Agreement being reached by the National Basketball Association Players Association and the team owners before the Thursday deadline. ESPN.com reporter, Marc Stein, reported on Saturday night that primaries from both sides of the deal were still expressing optimism. According to Stein, the snag in reaching a deal hangs in great deal on control over licensing and control over the use of player likenesses. Sources did admit to Stein that there has not been much leeway made on those fronts recently.

“We got to stay optimistic,” said LeBron James on the topic. “But obviously Melo is saying he has some concerns with it. We still got a few days, we still got a few days. Obviously our game right now is the best it’s ever been from where it is right here domestically to all the way around the world so hopefully both sides come to an agreement.”