Elton Brand Gets Extension From Sixers
General manager Elton Brand has signed a multiyear contract extension with the Sixers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania adds that a five-year deal with Daryl Morey has been finalized, and he will be introduced as the team’s new president of basketball operations on Monday at a news conference.
Brand has been with the Sixers’ front office since 2016, becoming a player development consultant after his 16-year playing career ended. He was named general manager of their G League affiliate a year later and was promoted to his current position in 2018.
Brand may have agreed to the extension before news broke that Morey was joining the organization. A source told Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this week that Brand has three years remaining on his contract, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst cited that as a new development (hat tip to RealGM).
“There’s a report out of Philly today, from Keith Pompey, that Elton Brand has three years left on his contract,” Windhorst said Wednesday. “Well, a month ago he had one year left on his contract, so I think there was a possibility Elton Brand got a contract extension that they didn’t announce.”
Raptors Could Play Next Season in Newark
The Raptors have talked to the operators of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, about using the facility for their home games next season, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The building holds 19,500 fans and is located relatively close to Toronto’s four Atlantic Division rivals.
In response to the coronavirus, Canada has placed restrictions on international travel from the United States that are likely to still be in place whenever next season begins. With other teams unable to freely travel into Toronto, the Raptors are searching for a U.S. site to serve as their temporary home. Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays played their home games this summer at Sahlen Field in Buffalo.
The Prudential Center, which serves as home to the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Seton Hall basketball, has experience in hosting an NBA team, Bondy notes. The Nets played there for two seasons before relocating to Brooklyn in 2012. The building is owned by Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, which also owns the Sixers.
A source tells Bondy that the Raptors also had discussions about playing in Tampa Bay or Nashville or possibly being guests in another NBA team’s arena. Kansas City offered the T-Mobile Center, while a similar pitch from Louisville was declined. A move to Buffalo has also been suggested.
The NBA is trying to limit travel next season because of COVID-19 concerns, which could make Newark an ideal location. Bondy points out that it’s only about 15 miles from Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden and roughly 90 minutes from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Boston is 225 miles away.
James Wiseman Reportedly Doesn’t Want Wolves To Draft Him
James Wiseman is considered the best center in this year’s draft, but he doesn’t want the Timberwolves to take him with the No. 1 pick, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Windhorst made the comments on “The Scoop” podcast with Darren Wolfson, saying Wiseman would prefer not to join a team that already has an established center in Karl-Anthony Towns.
‘“Wiseman does not want to come to Minnesota because Karl Towns is there,” Windhorst said. “From what I understand, Wiseman doesn’t even want to do anything with the Wolves.”
The 24-year-old Towns is the centerpiece of the rebuilding project in Minnesota and is under contract through 2023/24. He’s already a two-time All-Star and averaged 26.5 points and 10.8 rebounds last season. Neither Towns nor Wiseman seems suited to play power forward in a twin-towers approach.
If Windhorst’s claim is accurate, it seems to set up a trade for the No. 1 pick, possibly involving the Warriors, who hold the second choice, or the Hornets, who are at No. 3. Both teams attended Wiseman workouts recently and both have a need to upgrade at center. A report earlier this week indicated that Charlotte is willing to trade up to get its hands on Wiseman.
Wiseman is ranked third on ESPN’s list of the top 100 prospects. Although he only played three games in college, his combination of size and athleticism has many scouts believing he can become a dominant NBA center.