Nearly six years ago, the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2018-19 season came to an end at the hands of Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors. Following such tragedy, 76ers general manager Elton Brand faced an offseason that could determine their fate for years to come. Sure enough, Philadelphia pressed all of the wrong buttons, which resulted in Daryl Morey taking over most front office responsibilities the following season. Fast-forward to the present and Brand may have a chance to redeem himself with a new team.
NBA Insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that the Atlanta Hawks are expected to pursue Brand amongst other candidates amidst their search for a “new lead executive”. This report came shortly after the Hawks parted ways with General Manager Landry Fields earlier today, which was announced by Shams Charania of ESPN. Fields’ Hawks tenure lasted from 2022-25 and they were 101-114 under his leadership. Later, Atlanta revealed that it promoted Onsi Saleh to general manager.
The Hawks have fired general manager Landry Fields, the team has announced.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 21, 2025
The Hawks went 40-42 and lost both play-in games eliminating them from playoff contention 😬 pic.twitter.com/g2h57P4xPf
While Atlanta filled its general manager vacancy, it's still seeking another executive to be the lead decision-maker, which is where Brand could come in. Ironically, Brand is currently on the opposite end of this situation in Philadelphia as he is the general manager while Morey calls the shots as the president of basketball operations.
Elton Brand's brief reign with 76ers
The 76ers promoted Brand to the general manager ahead of the 2018-19 season following the scandal involving former executive Bryan Colangelo. It was only a matter of months before Brand pulled off the biggest trade of the season – acquiring a package headlined by Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a bundle involving Robert Covington and Dario Saric. Ahead of the trade deadline, Brand acquired Tobias Harris from the LA Clippers in a trade that consisted of a plethora of incoming and outgoing assets.
Philadelphia finished the season 51-31 but fell short in seven games to Toronto in the Eastern Conference SemiFinals. While Brand assembled arguably the best team of the Joel Embiid era, his legacy would soon come crashing down in the upcoming offseason. Philadelphia ended up sending Butler to the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade deal that netted Josh Richardson, signing Harris to a financially-crippling five-year/$180 million contract, and inking Al Horford to an equally puzzling four-year/$109 million deal.
The following season, the 76ers went 43-30 and were swept by the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the postseason. Ahead of the 2020-21 season, Philadelphia hired Morey as its president of basketball operations and Brand consequently took a backseat. Early in his 76ers tenure, Morey salary-dumped Horford to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Harris’ unwarranted max contract was essentially untradeable and limited their flexibility for years to come. If Brand gets a second chance in Atlanta, perhaps he’ll have learned from his mistakes.