76ers' Elton Brand Lays Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons Breakup to Rest
The topic that just won't go away. As the Philadelphia 76ers wrapped up a dreadfully disappointing 2019-2020 campaign this past weekend, the national media is back on its favorite topic surrounding the Sixers -- should Philly trade Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons.
I, myself, am guilty of engaging in this discussion. After all, I offered my two cents on it just the other day. Although I decided on one of the two, I made it very clear that splitting up the Embiid-Simmons duo is a bad idea. And apparently, the leader of the Philadelphia 76ers' front office tends to agree.
76ers General Manager Elton Brand addressed the media on Tuesday, following the organization's firing of head coach, Brett Brown. As expected, Brand had to field a question regarding the infamous topic of splitting Simmons and Embiid up. Although recent rumors indicated the Sixers have no intention of moving one or the other, some have to hear it from the team's GM to believe it.
"Well, I'm looking to complement them better," Brand said in regards to Simmons and Embiid on Tuesday as he heads into the offseason. "They're 24 and 26 years old, respectively. You try to make that fit, as long as you can. They want to be here. They want to be with our organization. And I see them here for a long, long time."
While trading Embiid and Simmons is all anybody wants to talk about when it comes to the Sixers, Brand did make it known that despite Embiid and Simmons being basically untouchable, others could be available if any teams are interested.
"Right now, I'm assessing the entire roster," Brown stated. "When you fail like we failed losing in the first round getting swept without Ben Simmons, there's going to be tough decisions that have to be made." Brand didn't indicate there's going to be a fire sale this offseason, but unless a player's named Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons, it sounds like they are available.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
