Sixers “Actively Involved” in the Brand Hunt

According to ESPN.com’s Mark Stein:

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Monday night that the Philadelphia 76ers are again “actively involved” in the Brand hunt — and now a very serious threat to tempt him away from L.A. — after initially fearing that they couldn’t compete financially with the Clippers and Golden State Warriors.

…sources say that the Sixers are growing increasingly confident in their ability to create additional salary-cap space by trading away swingman Rodney Carney and center Calvin Booth, setting them up to make a sufficiently rich offer Brand would struggle to refuse.

Dealing away Carney and Booth — with Minnesota and Memphis quickly emerging as possible destinations — would shed nearly $3 million from the Sixers’ payroll next season as long as the trade doesn’t require new GM Ed Stefanski to take any salary back.

…and if the Sixers can finalize a trade to part with Carney and Booth — it’s conceivable that Philadelphia could possess the financial flexibility to start a five-year offer to Brand at a first-year salary in the $15 million range.

Ed Stefanski is on the move and I like where his head is at.  He looks to finally make a push for the biggest piece of the puzzle, something that could potentially propel us to ‘Contender’ status in the East, something we have coveted for a long time to no avail, a power forward.