Philadelphia 76ers Expected to Part Ways With Brett Brown

The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to move on from their longtime head coach Brett Brown, The Athletic reports. The move is a long time coming for the 76ers after rumors in the past indicated that Brown was sitting on the Sixers' hot seat.

Brown, who joined the organization back in 2013 after spending time as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, was around for the Sixers' darkest days -- also known as 'The Process.' At the time, it was assumed that Brown was only going to stick around throughout the tanking process but then be relieved of his coaching duties when the Sixers began competing for a spot in the postseason.

But once the Sixers started turning things around, they stuck it out with Brown. From the 2013-2014 season to the 2015-2016 season, Brown possessed a harsh record of 75-253. Once the 2017-2018 season came around, though, Brown helped the Sixers achieve a winning record of 52-30, which sent the Sixers to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2011-2012 season.

After picking up his first playoff series win as a head coach against the Miami Heat, Brown's Sixers were bounced out of the playoffs in five games against the Boston Celtics in the second round. Being that he was coaching a young team with little to no playoff experience, the 76ers' organization issued Brown another chance to make a run the following year.

With multiple blockbuster trades being made throughout the 2018-2019 season, the 76ers went all in and expected Brown to coach the Sixers further than they've ever been with him running the show. Unfortunately, Philly was out in the second round once again after losing a Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors.

While many believed Brown's time was up after the 2019 NBA Playoff run, the Sixers stuck it out another season. With expectations through the roof, Brown and the Sixers had perhaps one of the most disappointing seasons in 2019-2020. Not only did they underachieve by coming into the postseason as the sixth seed in the East, but Philly also failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs.

The writing was on the wall for Brown as the playoffs approached. Barring an unexpected championship run down in Orlando, it was almost inevitable Brown was going to be relieved of his duties as the team's head coach. Now that the Sixers are out of the playoffs in less than five games, it's not a matter of if the Sixers are going to start searching for a new head coach -- it's a matter of when.  

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_