Yahoo: Brand leaning toward signing with Sixers

[ducks]

Brand ready to trade coasts?
By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports

In an improbable turn, Elton Brand is leaning toward accepting a five-year, approximately $80 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, multiple league sources said Tuesday afternoon.

Brand had been expected to return to the Los Angeles Clippers after opting out of $16.4 million in the final year of his contract, especially once Golden State’s Baron Davis agreed to join him in Los Angeles. Yet, Brand waited for Philadelphia general manager Ed Stefanski to create more salary-cap space for him – which he did on Monday night by dumping two contracts on Minnesota – and sources close to 76ers management say the organization believes it is close to luring away Brand.

Multiple league executives and agents now believe Brand is destined to sign with the 76ers. Even so, Clippers officials were still working furiously to convince Brand to return to the franchise where he has enjoyed great success over the past eight seasons. They hadn’t lost hope, but are fearful he could be slipping away.

What has hurt the Clippers chances of retaining Brand has been the organization’s refusal to offer anything but a “take-it-or-leave-it” deal since Golden State made its offer. People close to Brand say that stance “pissed him off,” and made him question his original desire to stay a Clipper.

The Clippers could renounce free agents such as Shaun Livingston and Corey Maggette to sweeten what’s believed to be a five-year, $70 million offer, but have resisted upping their bid. Perhaps that could change on Tuesday with the fear of losing him to the 76ers.

Losing Brand would be a horrible blow to the Clippers, who had believed him when he said he would stay for less money should they bring a talented teammate to join him. Golden State has offered the most money – as much as $95 million – but Brand, who missed all but eight games a year ago with a knee injury, had been intrigued with returning to his Eastern roots.

Brand can officially sign a contract on Wednesday when the league’s free-agency moratorium ends.

On Monday, the Sixers traded forwards Rodney Carney, Calvin Booth and a future No. 1 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves to free as much as $2 million in additional salary cap space to offer Brand. Minnesota sent Philadelphia its $2.8 million trade exception from a 2007 deal of Mark Blount to the Miami Heat.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns

[ducks]

950 AM Radio in Philadelphia is reporting that Elton Brand has signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. No terms of the deal have been released yet.

Many believed that Elton Brand would return to the Los Angeles Clippers, after he chose to opt out so the Clippers could add other talent. The Clippers had to renounce their rights to both Elton Brand and Corey Maggette to be able to sign Baron Davis. Then, they hoped to sign Brand too.

Today, the Sixers traded a future first round pick, Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth to Minnesota so they could add a $2.9 million trade exception and increase the salary cap space they had.

No one knew whether it would be Josh Smith or Elton Brand that space would be offered to. But 950, an ESPN affiliate, is reporting that a deal is done.

Brand is familiar with the area, because his doctor who performed ACL surgery for him last year is located in North Delaware, which is about 15 minutes from Philadelphia.

Brand played in only a handful of games last year due to that injury and expects to be at full strength this year.

Deals can be officially signed tomorrow, July 9th.

[SPURSGOAT]

!!! Clippers are going to go hard at Maggette now... at least now this takes the 76ers out of the game...

[baseline bum]

. So long Maggette. ing cheap ass Clippers. I hope Baron Davis tells them to off tomorrow.

[Big P]

The radio station is reporting he signed already, even though he is not able to until tomorrow?

[td4mvp21]

Hopefully Maggette wants to move on. If not it's back to the Clippers...

[timvp]

If true, the Spurs just lost all hope of landing Maggette.

[Spurs Brazil]

Many believed that Elton Brand would return to the Los Angeles Clippers, after he chose to opt out so the Clippers could add other talent. The Clippers had to renounce their rights to both Elton Brand and Corey Maggette to be able to sign Baron Davis.

If this is true, great news, if not no more Maggette

[SPURSGOAT]

Wait Maggette doesn't have to stay with the Clipps right? he might want to move on to another team... or do the Clippers have cap room too now?

[baseline bum]

If this is true, great news, if not no more Maggette

All they lost is Bird Rights by renouncing Maggette. Without Brand, they have plenty of capspace to re-sign him. The Spurs have nothing but Mahinmi to offer in a sign and trade for Maggette, and that ain't gonna get it done.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Wow. .

[timvp]

If this is true, great news, if not no more Maggette

The Clippers would likely just re-sign Maggette even if they did renounce him. Sterling loves him. If they didn't renounce him, they'll either re-sign him or sign-and-trade him.

[Samir Nagheenanajar]

This is a .

[thekingrobert]

I dont think the clip want Maggs, I rather JR

[Big P]

That went south pretty quickly.

[SPURSGOAT]

! Guess the Spurs better move on the JR fast...

[Obstructed_View]

Technically, Baron Davis hasn't signed a contract, so he could just as easily go back on his verbal commitment on the grounds that the Clippers failed to retain Brand. I'd damn sure do it if I were him, and I'd feel justified doing so.

[ChumpDumper]

That went south pretty quickly.

I thought things were taking forever.

[timvp]

Technically, Baron Davis hasn't signed a contract, so he could just as easily go back on his verbal commitment on the grounds that the Clippers failed to retain Brand. I'd damn sure do it if I were him, and I'd feel justified doing so.

Problem is Baron can't get that much money anywhere else.

[Big P]

I dont think the clip want Maggs

They dont have to want him....if Brand signs somewhere else then they dont have to renounce Maggs rights, meaning they could sign & trade him, getting him more money & the Clipps would get a pick or something in return....meaning the Spurs would be out of luck..again.

[baseline bum]

. JR Smith or bust is a ty strategy, but it's our only hope now.

[TheMadHatter]

Damn the 76ers are going to be a powerhouse next season:

PG: Andre Miller (very underrated PG)
SG: Willie Green (decent)
SF: Iggy (premiere SF in the EC)
PF: Brand/Young (premiere PF and great up and coming young talent)
C: Dalembert (good defensive center and rebounder)

[FromWayDowntown]

How could the Clippers manage to screw this up? They have two legitimate stars willing to combine together under relatively favorable contract terms and might somehow end the summer with neither -- or least with a lateral move?

Only the Clippers!!!!

Of course, this could all be bluster from Brand's camp; it might be that the Clippers have assumed all along that they wouldn't be Boozered by another Dukie and thought that going all out to get Brand was unnecessary. Given the date, it might conceivably be that Brand's people are floating a story about him thinking seriously about signing with Philly in the hopes that the Clippers will actually renounce Maggette and others to up their offer to Brand. The numbers on the deal with Philly are good, but 5/$70 and 5/$80 is hardly a huge difference -- and neither is what I would have expected Brand to draw in anything resembling an open market.

[GaryJohnston]

So what was the point of the Clips signing Baron Davis is they were not going to go hard after Brand?

ing supid organization.

[timvp]

Hopefully this is just a ploy to get the Clippers to raise their offer. Renouncing scrubs like Marcus Williams and then using that money to help lure back Brand makes a lot of sense. Then again, Sterling rarely makes sense.