Sixers reportedly sign Nick Young to one-year contract and are going to amnesty Elton Brand.
It appears the days of Lou Williams and Elton Brand wearing Sixers uniforms are done. And Nick Young is apparently on his way.
Sixers reportedly sign Nick Young to one-year contract and are going to amnesty Elton Brand.
Bob Cooney
The 76ers have reportedly signed shooting guard Nick Young to a one-year contract for close to $6 million and are ready to use their amnesty clause on Elton Brand, reports say.
The signing of Young, a 6-6 shooting guard, certainly seems to indicate that Lou Williams will not be back with the team. Williams opted out of the last year of his contract with the team, worth about the same amount of Young's reported contract.
Williams seems to have confirmed that idea today when he tweeted the following:
Philly, I appreciate you all. Unfortunately I will not be coming back, as an organization they decided to move in a different direction.
— Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) July 6, 2012
The 27 year-old young was a first round draft pick (16th overall) of the Washington Wizards in 2007. In 62 games last season, 40 with the Wizards and 22 with the Clippers, Young shot 40.3 percent from the floor, including 103-for-282 (36.5 percent) from three-point range. He averaged 14.2 points, slightly over his career average of 11.4 points. He is a very good free throw shooter at 83 percent for his career, but his main attribute is his outside shooting.
By using the amnesty clause on Brand, the Sixers will probably use that money ($18.2 million) on finding a veteran big man who may be able to start at the power forward position and a backup point guard. Right now Jrue Holiday is the only real point guard on the roster, though Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala could handle the ball when necessary. A true backup point guard would allow the team to not only use him when Holiday is out of the game, but move Holiday off the ball at times also.
Williams, 25, spent all of his 7 NBA seasons with the Sixers after being taken with the 45th overall pick in 2005 out of South Gwinnett High School. He led the team in scoring this past season with 14.9 points a game despite not starting a single game. For his career he has averaged 11.3 points and 3 assists.
Brand, the top overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in 1999, will turn 34 this upcoming season. He averaged a career-low 11 points this past season but was able to grab 7.2 rebounds and block 1.6 shots in 29 minutes of play.
Today's reported moves appear to be the beginning of more. Coach Doug Collins and his assistants are down in Orlando preparing for next week's summer league. President Rod Thorn is still in Philadelphia, though he will join Collins and company in Orlando on Monday.
More to come.
- That's why they got rid of EB it is not 18 and 10 anymore try 12 and 6 for 18 mil.
— Sunny D - @sore richard. Lou averaged 14.9 ppg last year, Nick Young averaged 14.2 on a team with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. @amblereagles, the last time Brand averaged 18 and 10 he was not a member of the Sixers— Facts before ignorance
- wow,with a tag like that, you've got to do better...Different players..Nick Young can help as a streaky catch and shoot guy,whether it's running around screens or spotting up facing the basket...fabulous FT shooter...But he's no Lou...Young's PER 12.93...Lou's PER 20.22 (leading the Sixers bigtime)....Lou Williams doubled running point at times,a terrific high post pick and roll player,entry and outlet passer...despite playing a minute an a half less than Young, he scored more points, had 4 times the amount of assists, rebounded more, and committed way less turnovers...He knew his role, and executed it at a very high level...Let's hope Nick Young can do the same. — bearsfriend
- The sixers are going in the right direction.within two years we will be one of top five teams in league.New ownership knows what it is doing.keep all young players and trade iggy for good young player.we are going to win it all soon.Be patient and watch Doug coach the 76ers to a championship. love what there doing.— michael ansel
- 1. I guess I'm missing something. If you free up that much money with the amnesty, why can't you resign Lou if you're looking for a backup PG?
2. Please think before you suggest a trade. Stop with trading Iggy and whatever else for D12. Do you folks never look at the other side? We have to look at what we are willing to give up and what the Magic may want or need. People will say give them everything, but that just leaves us in the same position as Orlando. Why would Dwight want to come here for that??? No!— coachc - The Sixers did not need any money freed up for Lou, as resigning one of your own in this case would not have counted as a penalty going over the soft cap....Furthermore, the Sixers wanted Lou...just NOT at what Lou and his agent were looking for...terms close to 30 mil over four years (starter's money)....Once the Sixers closed the page on Lou, to get that "shooter" (or two, as the other shoe will drop soon) the Sixers,who were almost up to the $58 million cap, needed cap relief to go out and get free agents...Nick Young's $6 million deal leaves 12.2 million more for potential free agents...If that free agent is restricted, maybe a sign and trade will go into effect... — bearsfriend
- Raptors have pulled their offer to Jerryd Bayless making him an unrestricted free agent,...maybe he could be brought in as a backup point?— curtislow
- coachc re: point 2. it seems many of the posters are 9, 10 yrs old max— barrywil
- Personally I like Iguodala. One of the few here who do, but the point of jrue-Turner-Iguodala not playing well together is valid. One of the three always gets left out and usually that is Turner. If Iguodala/Vucevic for DeRozan/Calderon happens we get a starting scorer in DeRozan and a more-than-capable backup PG in Calderon (who also expires next summer). Looks like we are aiming to be players this summer AND next summer. Smart moves signing 1 & 2 year deals so far. I think we didn't bring back Lou because we don't want to commit long-term. I see a starting PF getting signed with the leftover money from the rookies, resigning LaVoy/Hawes and amnestying Brand. Humphries or Ilyasova. If that's the case we could have a starting lineup like this - Jrue-Turner-DeRozan-Humphries-Hawes. Bench - Calderon-Nick Young-Harkless-Moultrie-LaVoy or insert Ilyasova for Humphries. I could be off the mark but that Toronto trade does fill two needs. A starting scorer and a backup PG. Humphries or Ilyasova fills the rebounding and interior defense/scoring and offensive-rebounding needs.— joecooler2u
- SOME Sixer's fans are sooooooooooo anoying .. no matter what moves they make some anoying & stupid fans just don't see the picture and always so negative. WAKEUP & be a REAL fan and just hope they make good moves to get better!!!! Nick Young a solid move and more to come!— bill poore
- would be surprised to see AI go now that EB is out. if DC has a win now mentality which is based partly on having a steadying influence on the court then Andre is the glue. EB was getting the big bucks and contributing almost nothing many games - ownership decided could bite the bullet now. the contract terms of the new vet faces on the roster will tell us how much weight we want to throw around next year. problem is that we will need to win now to help entice FAs to take the money.— barrywil
- they are not getting dwight people get over it he doesnt want to come here..but we could be the third team in that trade...on espn they said whats keeping the nets and magic trade for dwight is they need a third team to take on humphries contract in a sign and trade..something tells me thats why they used the amnesty clause on brand..could be wrong but guess we wil see.— bigjay215
- @coachc - Lou would cost too much, and for too many years, to keep as a backup PG. Worst thing they could do right now is spend money on multi-year deals just because they have the money to spend. They need to save that $ for next year's FA class, even if it means taking a step back this year.
I'm glad Lou is gone. He was a fighter, and he scored for us off the bench, but took too many bad shots and the offensive flow stopped every time he was on the floor. If this team is looking to be mostly a transition offense that moves the ball and plays a team game when they get stuck in the half court, Lou is not the guy. You could physically see the change in the way the offense functioned (ie: less movement off the ball) when he came in to the games last year.
— JTR - Good (not great)move,, now use the cap space to find a rebounder/shotblocker and let Rosen back up Jrue and Lets Go Sixers. This gives rookies a chance to show their stuff and in another year evaluate where you are. If the rooks work out this will be a competetive squad.— phillyroni
I love the kool-aid drinking fans who swear that every move a team makes is a smart or good move but then bash the fans with a clue. How does that make you more of a fan? Have you ever thought that the person upset with moves is upset because they want to see the team win so badly that it frustrates them to see them make poor moves consistently since Moses was traded.
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
