Philadelphia 76ers: Could Elton Brand end up on the chopping block?

A lot of words have been tossed out there when it comes to describing the Philadelphia 76ers recent playoff exit, but I believe the most common one has been that of “embarrassing.”

The Sixers entered the postseason as the number one seed, with three max contract players, a championship-winning head coach, and a roster that was filled out by players that executive Daryl Morey handpicked (Danny Green, Seth Curry, Dwight Howard, etc.). This was a team that was supposed to cruise their way to the Eastern Conference Finals, at minimum. Some had Philly pinned as a team destined for the NBA Finals due to the elite level of play that Joel Embiid had showcased throughout the regular season.

Now obviously, not everything went according to plan for the Sixers. Embiid suffered a partially torn meniscus that undoubtedly lowered his ability to produce as games wore on, Danny Green suffered a pulled calf, and Ben Simmons regressed to a version of himself that looked worse than his rookie season.

However, that pure embarrassment will still linger around the Philadelphia 76ers for quite some time. Every team deals with road bumps and hurdles during the postseason, this year’s version of the Sixers was supposed to be in a position to overcome all of it. After two years of talking about how they would’ve succeeded against Toronto if that infamous 2019 Game 7 was in Philly, they still managed to lose a series to the Hawks at home – a team that is nowhere close to as good as the Kawhi Leonard led Raptors.

And while the players and the fans alike may feel like they possess the greatest amount of shame following said early postseason exit, it’s actually the team’s ownership who tops the list, which could be a reason to expect significant change this offseason:

Three days later, there is still a high sense of embarrassment reasonating through Sixers HQ in Camden, NJ. The ownership group wants answers and changes. A loss to Mil or Bkn would have been disappointing but acceptable. This was not.
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) June 23, 2021

Josh Harris and the rest of the Philadelphia 76ers ownership group spent an absurd amount of money this past offseason. They forked over tens of millions to the likes of Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers, with promises that these were the moves that would finally push Philly over the top. It’s only year one of the Morey-Rivers pairing, but early results have already been lackluster.

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With that said, one can only assume that Morey and Rivers aren’t going anywhere due to the sheer amount of cash that is owed to them moving forward, but that doesn’t mean other team employees are equally safe.

If the Sixers ownership group is looking to pin blame on someone in the front office, as opposed to scapegoating Ben Simmons for everything, Elton Brand could be a prime candidate. A lot of his previous moves crippled the team from a roster building perspective, which left Morey in a bit of a tough spot during his debut season.

Could the Philadelphia 76ers send Elton Brand packing this offseason?

Tobias Harris, who actually had a very good regular season, did not have a good showing against Atlanta. As I’m sure everyone is well aware by now, Brand is the one who jumped at the opportunity to offer Harris – who has still yet to make an All-Star Game – a max contract.

The whole Al Horford debacle (another Elton Brand decision) cost the Sixers a future first-round pick, and ultimately resulted in Horford simply returning to Boston. Less than ideal.

light. Related Story. Philadelphia 76ers: 7 players Daryl Morey could trade Ben Simmons for

There haven’t been any rumors in regards to Brand’s future with the team (or lack thereof) quite yet, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if some whispers start to emerge. Simply trading away Ben Simmons likely won’t be enough to satisfy the Sixers’ ownership group – multiple heads many need to roll this summer.