Philadelphia 76ers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Hire Elton Brand As GM

September 18th, 2018 at 5:51pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers have promoted Elton Brand to general manager, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The team is expected to introduce Brand in his new role during a press conference on Thursday.

Brand held the role of VP of Basketball Operations while also serving as the GM of the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, prior to landing the position. He made a strong impression on ownership and head coach Brett Brown during the interview process, winning the job over several internal and external candidates, Wojnarowski adds.

Brand, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft, spent 17 seasons as a player in the league, including two separate stints in Philadelphia. He signed as a free agent during the summer of 2008 and spent four years with the franchise before departing for Dallas in 2012. He re-joined the 76ers during the middle of the 2015/16 season, serving as a veteran mentor to the team’s young roster.

One of a handful of in-house candidates to receive consideration to replace Bryan Colangelo, Brand was promoted over fellow executives Ned Cohen, Marc Eversley, and Alex Rucker. The Sixers were also reportedly considering Jazz assistant GM Justin Zanik and Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, as each executive received a second interview with the club.

During a media luncheon earlier today, Brown mentioned that Philadelphia was expecting to have a GM in place before the start of season. Brown also indicated that the idea of bringing back Sam Hinkie back in his old role was never under consideration, as Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets.

Sixers Expect Zhaire Smith To Return Around Christmas

September 18th, 2018 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Zhaire Smith isn’t expected to become the latest Sixers first-round pick to miss his entire rookie season, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who reports that the team believes Smith will be available to play in a game sometime around Christmas.

Smith, the 16th overall pick in the 2018 draft, sustained a left foot injury during a developmental camp in Las Vegas this summer and underwent surgery in August to repair a Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal.

It generally takes about six to eight weeks for a Jones fracture to heal following surgery, perhaps with another two or three weeks of recovery time, Pompey notes. However, the Sixers have no desire to rush Smith back onto the court, particularly since the club isn’t necessarily counting on the rookie swingman to be a key part of its rotation in 2018/19.

A source tells Pompey that the Christmas timetable for Smith will hinge on the rookie getting in shape and not suffering any setbacks.

In recent years, the 76ers have had some bad injury luck with several of their top draft picks. Joel Embiid didn’t play in a game until his third NBA season, Nerlens Noel and Ben Simmons missed their full rookie campaigns, and Markelle Fultz appeared in just 14 games in 2017/18.

Northwest Rumors: Butler, Porter, Thunder, Aminu

September 17th, 2018 at 9:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets, Knicks, Nuggets, Sixers and Lakers are potential landing spots for Jimmy Butler if the Timberwolves decide to trade him before he hits free agency next summer, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype opines. Butler is reportedly meeting with Minnesota’s brass on Monday to discuss his future with the organization. The Nets could offer a package featuring the Nuggets’ top-12 protected 2019 first-round pick, as well as defensive-minded wing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, while Denver could make either Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Michael Porter Jr. the centerpiece in a deal for the All-Star wing, Urbina adds.

We have more from around the Northwest Division:

Porter is trying to return to full strength after two back surgeries and there’s no guarantee he’ll play this season, Christopher Dempsey of the team’s website writes in a player profile. The Nuggets will keep him on the sidelines until they’re convinced the rookie forward won’t have any setbacks. There’s no timetable on when he will be ready to make his debut, Dempsey adds.
Defense will be the Thunder’s biggest strengths this season, according to Basketball Insiders’ season preview of the team. The return of Andre Roberson from his knee injury and the subtraction of Carmelo Anthony give the Thunder five above-average-to-elite defenders in their lineup. Oklahoma City’s biggest issue is closing out games but without the chemistry issues caused by trying to fit Anthony in with Russell Westbrook and Paul George, its performances in the clutch should also improve this season.
Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Jusuf Nurkic have returned to Portland after competing in regional FIBA World Cup qualifiers last week, according to Casey Holdahl of the team’s website. Aminu helped Nigeria go 3-0 during the tournament but Bosnia and Herzegovina went winless in two games despite the efforts of Nurkic.
Shooting guard Darius Johnson-Odom has remained in Minnesota to work out following his recent tryout with the Timberwolves, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. He could still be added to the training camp roster, Wolfson adds.

Zanik, Rosas Receive Second Interviews For Sixers’ Post

September 17th, 2018 at 4:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz assistant GM Justin Zanik and Rockets VP Gersson Rosas have earned second interviews for the Sixers’ GM opening, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Philadelphia’s ownership group dined with Zanik on Sunday and will do the same with Rosas on Monday. The ownership group will also hold second interviews with internal candidates on Thursday and Friday, Pompey adds in another tweet. The news was confirmed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Warriors assistant GM and director of player personnel Larry Harris was also recently interviewed for the vacancy, though there’s no indication if he’ll receive another interview.

Some of the internal candidates for the job who were reportedly interviewed this month include former Sixers player Elton Brand, Marc Eversley, Ned Cohen and Alex Rucker.

The organization has been operating without a GM since Bryan Colangelo departed in June amid charges of releasing sensitive information on Twitter.

The Sixers initially targeted big-name NBA GMs and presidents like Rockets GM Daryl Morey, but have since cast a wider net, focusing more on executives who would view the Philadelphia job as a promotion rather than a lateral move.

Dario Saric's Long-Term Role

September 16th, 2018 at 3:26pm CST by Austin Kent

There are less than 10 days until training camp begins. Currently, two Atlantic Division teams have maxed out their rosters at 20. The Knicks, Raptors and 76ers all have one more space to fill. Check out our list of NBA roster counts for the rest of the league, broken down by team.

It’s reasonable to assume that the Sixers envisioned Markelle Fultz as a starter when they drafted him. Derek Bodner of The Athletic writes that much-improved sophomore Dario Saric may need to return to the bench if that’s the case.

Central Rumors: Redick, Irving, Brown, Cavs

September 14th, 2018 at 3:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers guard J.J. Redick nearly signed with the Pacers in free agency, he revealed during a podcast with ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Redick’s comment was tweeted by Scott Agness of The Athletic. Redick stayed with Philadelphia after the Sixers improved their one-year offer to $12.25MM but that was still less than the Pacers were willing to pay. “I wouldn’t have started but I felt like I fit what they needed,” Redick said. “I just envisioned playing two-man (game) with (Domantas) Sabonis.”

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks’ desire to sign Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving could have a negative impact on the Bulls’ free agency plans next summer, according to an NBC Sports Chicago post. The Knicks have reportedly made Irving their No. 1 target in free agency and it’s been previously rumored that Irving and Jimmy Butler might join forces. If the Bulls wanted to bring back Butler after trading him away last summer, Irving’s potential interest in the Knicks could sidetrack that plan, the report adds.
One of the officers involved in the Sterling Brown arrest last January has been fired, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story passed along by NBC Sports. The Bucks swingman filed a civil lawsuit against the Milwaukee police department after he was arrested and tasered for a parking violation. The officer was fired for violating social media policy and not for his conduct the night of Brown’s arrest, the city’s police chief told the Journal Sentinel.
The Cavaliers could be more interesting and successful without LeBron James than many people expect, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer opines. The development of first-round pick Collin Sexton, Ante Zizic and Cedi Osman will be intriguing to watch and GM Koby Altman will likely make more moves during the season to reshape the team’s future, Pluto continues. Trading J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson, who have seemed disinterested during the regular season during the James era, would move the process along, Pluto adds.

Spurs Asked For Embiid Or Simmons For Leonard

September 14th, 2018 at 2:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before the Spurs agreed on a Kawhi Leonard trade package focused around DeMar DeRozan, they were asking for much bigger names from the Sixers, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe. (Hat tip to Dale Delgado of NBC Sports).

In his latest Lowe Post podcast, Lowe says Philadelphia turned down San Antonio offers that would have included Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons. The Sixers were reluctant to part with stars in exchange for a player who isn’t guaranteed to stay beyond this season, and Embiid and Simmons are probably untouchable in any circumstances.

Another name that popped up in rumors was Markelle Fultz, whose rookie season was cut short by a combination of injuries and problems with his shooting form. However, Lowe says the Spurs were never interested in the top pick in the 2017 draft.

“There is no evidence that the Spurs wanted Fultz,” Lowe said. “I’ve been told the Spurs never asked for Fultz, and actively didn’t want Fultz, and in fact wanted one of the two big guys.”

Sixers guard J.J. Redick, who was a guest on Lowe’s podcast, defended Fultz and claimed he was poorly treated by the media last season.

Sixers, Lakers Interested In Jamal Crawford

September 13th, 2018 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers and Lakers both have interest in signing veteran guard Jamal Crawford, according to Marc Spears of EPSN (hat tip to Miguel Gargaritano of Clutch Points).

Appearing on “The Jump,” Spears said Crawford isn’t close to making a decision on a new team, but Philadelphia and L.A. are among the contenders. The 38-year-old also had contact with Golden State, but the Warriors won’t have a roster spot to offer if Patrick McCaw re-signs.

Crawford spent last season with the Timberwolves, but was frustrated by a lack of playing time. He appeared in 80 games, but averaged just 20.7 minutes per night, the lowest since his rookie year, and saw his numbers decline across the board from where they had been with the Clippers.

The Sixers have 19 players signed and 14 guaranteed contracts, so they have room to add Crawford. He would bring firepower to the reserve unit and give the team a much-needed 3-point shooter.

The Lakers also have 19 players under contract with 14 guaranteed. Crawford would add a veteran presence to the L.A. backcourt, which is short on outside shooters to help stretch the floor for LeBron James.

Atlantic Notes: Korkmaz, Irving, Hayward, Nets

September 8th, 2018 at 5:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

Furkan Korkmaz is hoping to have a bigger role with the Sixers this season, he said in an interview with Bein Sports Turkey (hat tip to Orazaio Cauchi of Sportando). The 21-year-old only got into 14 NBA games last season, averaging 5.7 minutes per night. During the first two months of the year, he spent most of his time in the G League.

“I want to be in the rotation this season, I want to play more minutes,” Korkmaz said. “Of course, I don’t know how many minutes specifically I’ll play, but I’d like to have a more stable role. I think I have something to say in this league and I hope this season will be different than the last one.”

Korkmaz was the 26th selection in the 2016 draft and spent a season in Turkey before coming to Philadelphia. He showed off his scoring prowess in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League with a 40-point performance against Boston.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward have made significant progress in their return from injures, according to Ashith Mathur of AmicoHoops. A source who watched them play pickup games at the Celtics‘ practice facility said both players “look impressive” with a little more than two weeks to go until training camp. Irving had knee surgery in April that forced him to miss the playoffs, while Hayward suffered a season-ending ankle injury on opening night. Both have been training at full speed for about a month, Mathur adds, and Hayward should be cleared for five-on-five action next week.
With the Celtics poised to add another top prospect to their collection of young talent, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston takes a look ahead to next year’s draft. Boston could have as many as three first-rounders in June and will get the better pick from the Kings or Sixers [No. 1 protected], which is almost certain to be Sacramento’s. Blakely tabs Duke’s R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson, North Carolina’s Nassir Little, Arkansas’ Daniel Gafford and Sekou Doumbouya of France as potential future Celtics.
The Nets may have maximized their resources better than anyone this summer, writes Jesse Blancarte in Basketball Insiders’ season preview for Brooklyn. Highlights include unloading Timofey Mozgov‘s hefty contract, re-signing Joe Harris and landing free agents Ed Davis and Shabazz Napier on affordable contracts. The consensus among the writers in the preview is that Brooklyn may be ready to challenge for a playoff spot.

Murphy Discusses Sixers' GM Search

September 7th, 2018 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are the only long-term certainties for the Sixers, so the team’s new general manager should be a creative thinker who isn’t afraid to shake up the rest of the roster if it moves the team closer to title contention, writes David Murphy of Philly.com. The 76ers are considering both external and internal candidates as they seek a new head of basketball operations.

Sixers Rumors