Sixers Sign Elton Brand to One-Year Contract
The Sixers have signed free-agent big man Elton Brand | Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers have signed free-agent forward Elton Brand to a one-year contract.
The Sixers confirmed the signing by issuing a press release. The move was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
The Sixers brought Brand out of retirement last January to provide a veteran presence for their young collection of talent, and the team is likely hoping for Brand to use his experience to help young big men Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Nerlens Noel, and Jahlil Okafor adapt to the NBA.
Brand, the #1 overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft, has played 17 seasons in the NBA, with career averages of 15.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. He made 17 appearances for the Sixers last year, averaging 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 13 minutes per game.
Brand was a high-profile signing of former general manager Ed Stefanski in 2008, agreeing to a five-year, $80 million contract in a move that was supposed to vault the Sixers into contender status. Instead, Brand struggled to return to form after returning from his Achilles injury and averaged a modest 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game over the next four seasons. The Sixers used the amnesty provision on the final year of Brand’s contract in 2012.
Last week the Sixers cut Tibor Pleiss and Carl Landry, providing them with two extra spots on the 20-man offseason roster. They used one of those spots to sign Cat Barber on the same day.
Landry, a nine-year NBA veteran, was released to allow him to go to a team where he could compete for more playing time and prove his value before becoming a free agent next summer, according to a league source. Brand would likely be more willing to accept a mentorship role.
Brand’s contract is non-guaranteed, according to Jessica Camerato of Comcast SportsNet.
The signing of Brand brings the Sixers to the 20-man offseason roster limit.
Derek Bodner covers the 76ers for Philadelphia magazine’s Sixers Post. Follow @DerekBodnerNBA on Twitter.
