76ers Consider Amnesty Cutting Elton Brand

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Alphawolf

Though the team may be in the upper echelon of the NBA so far this year, the Philadelphia 76ers would not be opposed to cutting starting power forward Elton Brand, saving $18.1 million dollars in salary cap space.

 

According to NBC Philadelphia, “(When asked if Brand was a candidate for amnesty) For the right person, yes… Those are the kinds of things that if you do it and you do it wrong it puts you way back. You’ve got to be very careful but if it was a game changer we would consider that. It’s not something we’re afraid of. We’re a deep-pocketed, committed ownership group. But we’re going to be sensible about it. We’re not going to do that for anyone. It would have to be for someone really good.”

 

While not saying they would be going out of their way to do so, one has to wonder if Brand’s days in Philadelphia are numbered.  The 12 year vet is averaging career lows in minutes (27.5), points (10.2), and the 2nd worst career year in rebounding with 6.7 per contest.  However Brand is also 4th in the league in defensive rating as well as 10th in defensive win shares, which means he is a crucial part of the team that is leading the NBA in defense.

 

The 76ers (20-11) are scheduled to begin a 4-game road trip Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.  The trip will last until February 28th, with stops in Memphis, Houston and Detroit.