Source: Sixers GM Elton Brand won’t pursue Hornets’ lead front office job
Brand, who was considered a leading candidate for Charlotte’s vacant president of basketball operations job, signed a contract extension around the holidays.
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Elton Brand has decided to remain with the 76ers.
Despite being listed as a leading candidate for the Charlotte Hornets head of basketball operations position, Brand does not intend to pursue the opportunity, according to a league source.
The Sixers general manager signed a long-term extension with the organization around the holidays and is committed to Philadelphia. He’s focused on getting the Sixers in the best position for a playoff run, the source added.
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This comes after Brand became a candidate for the Hornets gig on Monday when Mitch Kupchak moved into a consulting role within the organization. Kupchak had served as Charlotte’s president of basketball operations and general manager since 2018.
On Sept. 18, 2018, the Sixers stayed in-house and hired Brand as general manager to replace Bryan Colangelo, who resigned as GM and president of basketball operations that June.
Before the GM role, Brand, 44, was the Sixers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager of their G League team, the Delaware Blue Coats. He also had two playing stints with the Sixers, the second time in 2016, when he served as a mentor to the team’s young players.
In 2018, the Sixers went after a number of accomplished, high-level executives around the NBA, knowing that the candidates would want the final say and not be part of a consensus-oriented front office. They picked Brand, partly because he was willing to work on collaborative decision-making.
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Fast-forward to Aug. 25, 2020. Brand acknowledged the “collaboration days didn’t work too well” on the heels of the Sixers’ being swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Boston Celtics. He also noted that the team was evaluating its front-office structure and personnel.
That led the team to hire Daryl Morey as president of basketball operations on Nov. 2, 2020. While Morey has the final say, he works closely with Brand.