Report: 76ers 'Talking' With State Officials About Possibility of Opening Practice Facility

The Philadelphia 76ers do not have permission to open up their practice facility to players at this time. However, a report indicates the team is talking with state officials about the possibility of doing so soon.

On Friday, the NBA officially allowed specific teams to open up their practice facilities for the first time in nearly two months. While strict rules apply to those organizations, who opened up, at least the NBA is one baby step closer to potentially getting back into action this year.

There's still a long way to go, though -- especially for the Philadelphia 76ers. A few teams might've opened up their practice facility doors on Friday, but the Sixers were not one of them. And the decision not to be wasn't by choice.

Only teams in states that have eased up on their stay-at-home mandates had the opportunity to allow players to begin individual workouts again. Since the 76ers' practice facility is located in New Jersey, they could end up being one of the last teams to get back to voluntary workouts as Jersey's stay-at-home order has been extended recently. 

Therefore, the 76ers are holding discussions with local and state officials as they try to figure out when the team can open its doors, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark.

Sixers were not one of the teams re-opening their practice facility today for voluntary workouts. They are talking with local and state officials about when that could be possible

The NBA allowed teams to do so today and several teams have as long as officials allow it pic.twitter.com/rA5XMc6BOJ

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) May 8, 2020

Last Tuesday, 76ers General Manager Elton Brand discussed the situation via conference call. While the Sixers are still hopeful they will be able to open up their New Jersey facility sometime soon, so they don't fall behind, Brand mentioned that he does have a 'Plan B' if it is needed. 

"We're looking at access in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as they're loosening the stay-at-home mandates," Brand said last Tuesday. "But also, we have a great facility right in Wilmington, Delaware where our G League team, the Blue Coats, play in and practice in, that's really state of the art. I have backup plans ready and available for our guys when they need it if it's deemed safe if they want it."

[RELATED: Sixers Have Backup Plans If They Can't Resume Practice in NJ Soon]

It's not time to move to the backup plan just yet. Soon, though, that might be the case if the 76ers do not receive permission from the state to open back up. As of May 6th, New Jersey's governor, Phil Murphy, extended the stay-at-home order another 30 days. As for Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf extended the order till June 4th. 

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