Philadelphia 76ers: Grading Elton Brand’s full first year as GM
July, 2019
Sign Norvel Pelle: Grade B
After having a stellar season with the Blue Coats and gaining G-League All-Defensive team honors, Pelle proved he’s a quality defensive center. With the Sixers waiving Highsmith, Brand signed Pelle to a two-way contract, so that Pelle can provide emergency minutes at the center spot if need be.
Philadelphia 76ers signed-and-traded Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat and traded rights to Mathias Lessort to the Los Angeles Clippers. Clippers sent cash to the Heat. Blazers traded Maurice Harkless to the Clippers and traded Meyers Leonard to the Heat. Heat traded Josh Richardson to the Sixers, traded 2023 first round pick (top 14 protected) to the Clippers and traded Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trailblazers: Grade B+
There’s so much that can be dissected in this trade, but to keep it simple, let’s just look at the Butler, Lessort and Richardson portion of it. Butler was going to free agent, so getting him to agree to a sign-and-trade for a quality two-way wing in Richardson is a major win. Giving up the rights to Lessort is worth the price of not losing Butler for nothing.
Converted 2-way deal of Shake Milton: C+
Milton absolutely deserves a regular roster spot. He went off with the Blue Coats last season averaging 24.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists. The only reason this move is getting the grade that it is, is because it will be hard for him to get minutes this season in Philly.
Signed Al Horford: Grade B+
Considering that Butler didn’t return to the Sixers, landing a player of Horford’s standings is certainly a win for the 76ers. He’s the best type of insurance policy for Embiid that Philly could have gotten. The only reason why this wasn’t the best signing this summer is because Philly’s paying him for four seasons. By the end of the deal he will be 37-years-old and probably won’t be worth the money he will be getting.
Re-signed Tobias Harris: Grade A-
Considering that Brand gave up much more to acquire Harris than Butler during last season, re-signing Harris was a bigger priority. Harris is also much younger, so he still has a lot of his prime remaining. Re-signing him to a five-year max was the only move that they could have after they amount they gave up to acquire him.
Re-signed Mike Scott: Grade B+
Scott quickly became a staple of the Sixers for his production off the bench last season and his personality. Getting Scott to return on a two-year deal worth $9.8 million was a bargain for the 76ers. He should continue being an important part of Philly’s rotation heading into this upcoming season.
Signed Kyle O’Quinn: Grade B+
Getting O’Quinn in free agency on a one-year minimum was the second biggest steal for this summer in terms of value contract. Just two seasons ago, O’Quinn was a solid starting center for the New York Knicks and should be a valuable backup for Embiid entering this season.
Re-signed James Ennis: Grade B
Retaining Ennis was another win for the Sixers as he was important to their playoff run. He’s not an elite 3-point shooter, but he’s a solid 3-and-D option that fits the Sixers needs. Philly re-signed him below market value at two-year $4.1 million, with a player option for the second year.
Signed Raul Neto: Grade C
In terms of spacing the floor, Neto is better than what they had in McConnell last season. Yet, defense and health remain questions surrounding him. A one-year minimum deal for Neto who can serve as the team’s second or third string option at the point guard depth chart is a solid move.
Ben Simmons contract extension: Grade A+
After being named Rookie of the Year and earning his first All-Star nomination, it was a no brainier for the Sixers to give their star point guard a max-rookie extension. If he adds a jump shot to his game, then his contract extension will have extremely good value.
Signed Christ Koumadje: Grade C
Height can’t be taught and that’s certainly the case with Koumadje. At 7-foot-4, the big man is a unique prospect and signing him makes sense on that alone. He’s still very raw with limited upside, but using an Exhibit 10 to incentivize him to development with the Blue Coats was worth the price.
Re-signed Furkan Korkmaz: Grade D+
In the past, I’ve written about how re-signing Korkmaz was the worst free agent move made by Brand this summer. There were much better players still left on the market and Korkmaz hadn’t proven his worth up to this point either. The only redeeming factor to this move is that he’s young and can still improve. Hopefully, this season will help this grade improve.
Signed Trey Burke: Grade A-
There’s no doubt that Burke has deficencies as a playmaker and defender, but the one thing he’s good at is scoring. The Sixers desparately needed a point guard that could create his own shot and Burke is just that. The fact that they got him on a partially-guaranteed deal was a major steal. He could be the x-factor coming off the bench this season.