Summertime Sixers? Mavs Owner Mark Cuban Predicts NBA Could Play Into August

A move by the NBA was bound to happen sooner or later. With the coronavirus spreading about the United States, the league was coming to the conclusion that a tough decision was going to have to come at some point this week.

On Monday, NBA owners and team governers had a brief discussion before scheduling an all-league conference call for Wednesday. By the time Wednesday rolled around, many thought there could be a possibility the Sixers versus Pistons matchup in Philly could be in front of a bunch of empty stands -- or even worse -- it could be canceled.

But that didn't happen. The NBA resumed as usual, and the Wells Fargo Center opened its doors for fans who were willing to attend to see the Sixers back in town for the first time in a little under two weeks. However, it was hard to pay attention to the show right in front of everybody. Instead, many were focused on what was going on in Oklahoma City with the matchup between the Thunder and the Jazz.

Before that game tipped off, it was canceled. As it turns out, Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. And from that point on, the NBA didn't just ban fans from attending games moving forward, but they put the entire season on hold. Some believe it's postponed for the time being. Others think the rest of the regular season will be canceled out. So far, there's no definitive solution, but Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban issued his two cents on the potential outcome Thursday morning on ESPN.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban just told us on @GetUpESPN that his expectation is that the NBA season will not be canceled - just postponed - and that he could could see NBA games going as late as August this year.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) March 12, 2020

Instead of complicating the potential NBA playoff outcome, Cuban believes that when the league resumes, it will pick up right where it left off. If that's the case, the NBA season could end up lasting until as late as August, rather than closing the NBA Finals up in June. At this point, the 76ers have 17 games left on the regular-season schedule.

The Sixers' next opponent is supposed to be the Indiana Pacers at home. It's unclear if that matchup -- or any other matchup on the schedule, for that matter will get played. If the league does pick up where it left off, however, we could be in for an extended season as the NBA will have to take on another extended break after everything that has transpired.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_