Basketball news on this sunny and hot Friday afternoon.
Yahoo! is killing it today. They report that the Sixers will amnesty Elton Brand, meaning the $18 million he was owed this season will come off the salary cap and that Brand will be placed on the so-called Amnesty Wire (which sounds like something a sovereign nation would setup to transfer aid to Western journalists reporting in dangerous countries– but really it’s just a waiver wire), where other teams can bid for his services. Assuming Brand is picked up, the Sixers will still have to pay him the difference between the winning bid and $18 million (or, all $18 million if he doesn’t find a new home).
Clearing Brand's insane contract off the books will give the Sixers financial freedom to sign players such as…
… free agent Nick Young to a one-year, $6 million deal, according to Yahoo! (!!!).
Young, 27, averaged over 14 points with the Clippers and Wizards last year. He’s an outside scorer who is a better defender than Lou Williams.
CBS Sports’ Matt Moore likes the move:
This is a sweetheart deal for the Sixers. They get a bench scorer with considerably more scoring potential than last year's bench scorer Lou Williams to hit shots, and Young's a superior defender. Young is 27, but likely still has several good years in front of him. He's a versatile scorer who can get up and out in transition and on several nigts will light up the scoreboard.
This is a great move by Philadelphia, assuming the don't re-sign Lou Williams to a long-term deal. This gives them flexibility and allows them to fill their bench scoring position.
Plus, you know, swag.
But I prefer former-team fan reaction. And the immediate response from some D.C. followers was a sarcastic "enjoy." That’s not a good sign.
As Dei Lynam points out, the Sixers had to amnesty Brand to sign Young. That’s great and all, but let’s cross our fingers that there’s a lot more to come.
…
In other Sixers news, minority owners Jason Levien and Erick Thohir (who, according to Wikipedia, was born in either 1969 or 1970) are going to buy D.C. United of the MLS.
17 Responses
I thought holding Brand as an expiring contract was the best play? Would have been trade bait in February no? Does adding N.Young mean goodbye to Lou? How much cap space is left w these moves?
Don’t think many care about Union, especially cross over between basketball and soccers fans.
Hanging on to Brands expiring contract COULD have worked out better in a trade to a team looking to clear cap space for the big free agents next summer…BUT they also could have not been able to get a young player in return that fit them as well as Young can. Next move is to clear Iguodala out for a veteran big and they can move forward with Jru, Young, and Turner.
I don’t understand why the N.Young deal is only for 1-year though?
Don’t care about trixers but this DC united thing pisses me off
I care about the Union and the Sixers. Bad taste in my mouth over this DC thing, but they’ll own the new stadium. They’d only own a piece of PPL if they invested in the Union.
Nick Young is not a good player. Lou Williams is considerably better. It doesn’t matter though, it’s not like they’re going anywhere either way.
They didn’t have to amnesty brand to sign Young. His and Lou’s salaries are practically a push. Something else is going on with this.
@david Williams – yea no one cares about the union.
clearly….
http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/story/2011-11-07/mls-passes-nba-as-third-best-attended-american-sport
Lol you check the ratings lately Muscles?
Now we wait for an amnesty clause in the next NHL CBA so we can get rid of Bryz.
@evaporationboy
funny since Bryz was the only good player on the team by the end of the devils series. keep trolling though.
LOL you Flyers fans can’t make your minds up. BTW, Bryz basically scored on himself in a do ir die game 5.
He had his moments, but if you analyze his body of work in the playoffs, he was shaky at best. Didn’t steal a single game for the Fly guys when they really needed it against the Devils.
Nick Young is a clubhouse cancer. One of Gilbert Arenas’ boys in DC. Had to be traded before the Wiz could show some late season turnaround under Wittman.
Now the Sixers made all this space a week or so too late, who do they go and get? Trade a draft pick or two and rent Howard? Be the odd-man-out in a deal to help NJ/NY? A division rival.
Seems like a big step backwards for the organization.
Thx,
Jay!
Well, I can’t say I’ll miss Brand as his numbers were hollow and his defense was suspect at best. Doing the amnesty thing was the right move as Brand had zilch in terms of trade value. At this stage of his career, he’s nothing more than a bench player.
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