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UPDATE: Sources said 16 teams would take the current deal on the table.

NEW YORK — NBA players made it clear Tuesday: No deal.

No fear of commissioner David Stern’s ultimatum, either.

“The current offer on the table from the NBA is one that we cannot accept,” players’ association president Derek Fisher said.

Instead, the players said they will ask for another meeting with owners before Stern’s Wednesday afternoon deadline in an attempt to end the lockout and save the season.

The league’s current proposal calls for players to receive between 49 percent and 51 percent of basketball-related income, though union officials argue it would be nearly impossible to get above 50.2 percent.

“The players are clearly of the mind that it’s an unacceptable proposal,” union executive director Billy Hunter said. “But because of their commitment to the game and their desire to play, they’re saying to us that we want you to go back, see if you can go back, get a better deal.”

The union did not conduct a formal vote of the players assembled in the room Tuesday, but sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein that the group reached more of an informal “everyone agrees” position that authorizes Hunter and Fisher to accept a 50/50 split of basketball related income in future negotiations as long as the league makes some concessions on certain system issues.

After Tuesday’s meeting Fisher said that without concessions “we don’t see a way of getting a deal done between now and end of business” Wednesday.

Sources on the league side, however, continue to dispute Hunter’s stated belief that the owners will improve upon Saturday’s last offer.

“It’s sad,” one ownership source told ESPN.com on Tuesday. “I think they’ve seen their best offer.”

The league is seeking to limit the spending options of teams above the luxury tax threshold, believing that would lead to greater competitive balance. Players want all teams to be options for free agents.

If players don’t take the deal by 5 p.m. Wednesday, the next offer will call for salary rollbacks, a 53-47 revenue split in the owners’ favor and essentially a hard salary cap.

And, Hunter said he heard, games canceled through Christmas — though NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the league had nothing to announce about cancellations.

The players insisted they will not be forced into taking a bad deal by an ultimatum — though Stern refused to call it that.

“The players are saying that we understand their position, but unfortunately we’re not intimidated by all that,” Hunter said.

With players ranging from All-Stars to minimum-salary players behind them, Fisher and Hunter dismissed Stern’s warning, had hard words for Michael Jordan and repeated that they are willing to negotiate and believe they have made more than enough economic concessions to get the salary cap system they want.

That message was not just for the owners.

They also were speaking to the players and agents who advocate disbanding the union in an attempt to take on the league in court. Union leaders said there was very little discussion about decertification, saying they understand there would be differences of opinion with a membership of 450, but that the team representatives summoned to New York knew the best interests of their teammates.

Said Cleveland Cavaliers player representative Anthony Parker: “Once the league’s offer was spelled out clearly [during Tuesday's meeting], everyone said it was worse than they thought.”

The union called the meeting after Stern issued his ultimatum early Sunday morning following an eight-hour bargaining session with a federal mediator. Fisher said 43 players, including superstars Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin, attended the meeting and that 29 of the 30 teams were represented.

“We’re open to discussions, open to negotiation,” Fisher said. “We’re open-minded about potential compromises on our number, but there are things in the system that are not up for discussion that we have to have in order to able to get this season going.”