Sixers

Sixers Amnesty Elton Brand, Sign Nick Young, and Two Minority Owners are Buying an MLS Club

By Kyle Scott

Published: Jul 6th, 2012 · 12:05 PM EDT

---

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.