The Philadelphia 76ers have already made one major change following the disappointing conclusion of their season, but they have no plans to blow up their roster.
Sixers GM Elton Brand was asked on Tuesday about the possibility of trading away one or more core players this offseason. He said the team has no interest in dealing Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons.
“I’m not looking to trade Ben or Joel. I’m looking to complement them better,” Brand said, via Marc Zumoff of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “They’re 24 and 26 years old. I see them here for a long time.”
Perhaps more surprising, Brand indicated that the Sixers plan to keep Al Horford as well.
Elton Brand on Horford: "Al Horford can fit on a championship caliber team". Says will find a way for him to fit.
— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) August 25, 2020
Embiid and Horford have not meshed well together. Horford was moved into the starting lineup with Simmons injured, and the results were not good. Horford previously did his best work as a stretch five, but he had to log more minutes at power forward while playing alongside Embiid. Even his sister sounded off about the ineffectiveness of the two playing together during Philly’s sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
Embiid seems unhappy with some of the roster moves the Sixers have made, though he emphatically dismissed any talk about internal issues. It’s fair to wonder if Philly should have re-signed Jimmy Butler rather than bringing in Horford and extending Tobias Harris. Even former head coach Brett Brown, who clashed with Butler last season and was fired on Monday, was reportedly open to bringing Butler back this season.
