Knicks Rumors: 76ers' Elton Brand a Candidate for New York GM Job

The New York Knicks have embarked on a new era with former CAA basketball agent Leon Rose as their new team president. The question now is whether they will stick with incumbent general manager Scott Perry or go in a new direction.

On Wednesday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported that Rose is eyeing Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand for the same position with the Knicks, although landing him won't be easy.

"According to a league source, Elton Brand has been targeted by Rose as a candidate for Knicks GM," Bondy wrote. "Brand, 41, is currently the Sixers GM and is under contract next season, complicating any designs of bringing him to New York. The source said Rose wanted to see if Brand was dismissed after the playoffs."

A 76ers source told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the team is "very happy" with Brand's work and reiterated that he's under contract next season.

Per Pompey, the source "cited Brand’s leadership and strong working relationships with players, agents and executives around the league."

Brand has been the team's general manager since 2018 and has orchestrated trades for Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, among others. He also landed Al Horford in free agency this past summer.

The 76ers reached the Eastern Conference semifinals last year before losing on a Game 7 buzzer-beater to the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors.

This season's team entered the year with lofty expectations, but it hasn't seriously challenged for the Eastern Conference crown. Philadelphia was 39-26 and tied for fifth in the East when the season was suspended on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brand has been a part of the NBA since the Los Angeles Clippers took him first overall out of Duke in the 1999 draft. He played 17 seasons and made two All-Star games. 

Brand joined the 76ers' front office as a player development consultant soon after retiring in 2016, and he became the GM for the G League's Delaware 87ers one year later. Brand found himself calling the shots for Philadelphia shortly thereafter.