The Philadelphia 76ers must really want to add an impact player this summer. They’ve just agreed to a trade that is meant solely to clear cap space.
Philadelphia 76ers forwards Rodney Carney, Calvin Booth and a future No. 1 pick have been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves to free as much as $2 million in additional salary cap space for the Sixers to offer Elton Brand or Josh Smith, multiple league sources said.
Getting Carney and Booth off the cap gives the Sixers the chance to offer a starting salary of approximately $14 million a season. The Sixers won’t know the precise figure until the league announces next season’s salary cap on Tuesday.
If Brand is seriously considering breaking his word and signing with a team other than the Clippers, Philadelphia is an interesting destination for him. He was born and raised in upstate New York and isn’t against a move to the East Coast. The Sixers are up and coming, and with Brand in tow, they’d have a nice core to build around if you include Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young to the list.
Likewise, the Sixers would be a good destination for Josh Smith if they make him an offer than the Hawks are unwilling to match. Brand is the more established player, but Smith is already in the top 40 in PER and is just 22 years old.
My guess is that Brand returns to L.A. and the Sixers make a big offer to Smith. If the Hawks match, Philly may move on to Smith’s teammate, Josh Childress.
