Three offseason questions for the Sixers after the hiring of Mike Gansey, starting with Elton Brand
The Sixers will soon hit two obvious offseason checkmarks, with the draft and free agency later this month. But how does Gansey initially set his culture, and could there be more staff changes?
The 76ers’ first major offseason task has been completed, after Mike Gansey was introduced Monday as the new president of basketball operations.
“It’s just one good decision at a time as far as [creating] change,” said president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Bob Myers, who led Gansey’s hiring process.
Additional obvious offseason checkpoints will be tackled in the coming weeks. The Sixers hold the No. 22 overall pick in the June 23 NBA draft, which was Gansey’s specialty in his previous job as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager. Shortly after that is free agency, which the Sixers are expected to enter with limited financial flexibility with three players on max contracts.
Yet here are some more subtle questions still lingering following Gansey’s hiring:
What will Elton Brand’s role/title become?
Brand was not spotted during Gansey’s news conference, evidence of the decision that Brand will not continue as general manager.
Brand had previously been the front office’s top decision maker, before taking a step back to the No. 2 role when Daryl Morey was hired as president of basketball operations in 2020. Still, Brand was respected inside and outside the organization, and turned down interest from other teams to stay with the Sixers in past years.
But now Jameer Nelson has been promoted to that No. 2 front office spot, while Brand is expected to transition to another role and title. What exactly will those responsibilities entail? And how visible will he be moving forward?
Any other changes to the front office or coaching staff?
The most candid comments during Monday’s media availabilities came from Myers, who said the Sixers need an identity.
They were mediocre on both ends of the floor in 2025-26, ranking 16th in offensive efficiency (114.3 points per 100 possessions) and 17th in defensive efficiency (114.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) during a 45-37 regular season. Rebounding and three-point shooting were particularly glaring issues, especially during the playoffs.
It is unlikely that the Sixers can make fixes by immediately overhauling the roster, given how Joel Embiid (32) and Paul George’s (36) ages and health struggles make their max contracts difficult to trade. The best short-term outcome might be that those two former perennial All-Stars play more than the 75 combined games they suited up for during this past regular season, allowing the potential this team flashed during its first-round upset of the Boston Celtics to sustain.
» READ MORE: Mike Gansey ran the Cavaliers’ draft. Now, he must infuse that expertise with the Sixers.
As far as additional nonplayer personnel changes, it is possible that Gansey does not make any prominent new front office hires for his first season.
In addition to Nelson’s promotion, vice president of player personnel Prosper Karangwa has agreed to a contract extension, The Inquirer confirmed. Assistant general managers Ned Cohen and Fan-Hal Kuong, plus Delaware Blue Coats general manager Ariana Andonian, got shout outs from Gansey during Monday’s news conference.
On the coaching staff, Nick Nurse obviously will be back for a fourth season. But are there any possible changes in the assistant ranks to address shortcomings on either end of the floor?
Last year, for example, Coby Karl did not return (neither did Bobby Jackson, who took an assistant job with the Sacramento Kings). And Mike Longabardi was promoted from Blue Coats head coach to the Sixers’ bench, where he took on defensive responsibilities.
Job movement from the front office and coaching ranks continues throughout the offseason, and can often be triggered by other teams.
How will Gansey establish his culture?
Gansey’s go-to saying Monday was that he wants “fountains, not drains” — aka people who enhance the work environment instead of suck the life out of it. He wants employees to enjoy coming to the facility, to create alignment through communication and collaboration, and to add players who want to be Sixers.
The most cynical outsider could define those words as workplace culture jargon. And shifting that in a meaningful way is a challenge with this organization, which has a reputation of instability, at best. One could argue that always stems from the top — no matter who is in key basketball leadership roles — and ownership has not changed.
Still, it will be interesting to monitor how Gansey aims to set his organizational tone in these initial months. Do things feel tangibly different with young players around for much of the summer, then when everybody reconvenes for informal workouts and training camp?
