76ers Rumors: Ty Lue, Jay Wright Among Candidates to Replace Brett Brown as HC

The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly have a number of high-profile candidates on their list of potential replacements for former head coach Brett Brown.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Ty Lue, Villianova head coach Jay Wright and 76ers assistant coach Ime Udoka are "among [the] early candidates."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the 76ers fired Brown on Monday after the Boston Celtics swept them in the first round of the playoffs. Wojnarowski also noted the interest in Lue "is expected to be mutual."

Wojnarowski reported the firing of Brown is "expected to be a precursor for more upheaval for the 76ers, whose senior leadership—including general manager Elton Brand—will begin exploring changes in the front office structure."

Despite these potential changes, Wojnarowski noted "there's still a strong desire to keep the franchise's two young All-Stars—Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons."

Brown's firing comes after the 76ers were one of the most disappointing teams in the league in 2019-20. They entered with realistic aspirations to make the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference but instead struggled with consistency and injuries on the way to the No. 6 seed.

Boston then swept them in the first round.

As for the candidates, Lue took over the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2015-16 campaign after they fired David Blatt and led them to a championship in his first season. He also directed Cleveland to the NBA Finals the following two years but was fired after starting 0-6 in 2018-19.

LeBron James notably left the Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the season Lue was fired.

As for Wright, he has never coached at the NBA level but is a college basketball legend who has been with Villanova since the 2001-02 season. He is a two-time national champion who has been to three Final Fours and named the Naismith Coach of the Year twice and the Big East Coach of the Year six times. 

Udoka is another notable name whom the 76ers hired in June 2019. He was a longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant before that and has been connected as a possible candidate for the Chicago Bulls' head coaching vacancy.