Philadelphia 76ers: Dumping Iguodala and Brand Is Way to Take Next Step

Andre Iguodala is a trap player. He is extremely gifted physically, he is a solid defender, he handles and passes well and shows flashes as a scorer, but he isn't a No. 1. The Sixers have seen this over the past five seasons. In his best seasons, from 2006 to 2009, the Sixers made the playoffs twice, with two first-round exits.

He played more of a scorers' role then, and that was unsuccessful. Now he is being more of a facilitator, and that hasn't yielded positive results either.

Elton Brand has always been fool's gold. He is an undersized power forward that will generate numbers that make you do a double take, but his teams never win. Brand has only been to the playoffs twice in his 12-year career, including last year's first-round exit at the hands of the Miami Heat.

I wouldn't hold Iggy and Brand to these standards or take them to task for their failures if they weren't pulling in nearly $30 million combined annually. They are being paid like Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, and needless to say, they aren't rendering the same results, nor do they present as bright a future.

I think Iguodala could be a great fit and help another team with an established star win a championship. Putting him alongside Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant or Chris Paul could be huge, but he isn't "that guy" to build around. Unfortunately, there are a lot of players who are paid like Batman but will never be more than Robin. Iggy is one of those guys.

Brand is best served at this point as a sixth man. He can still score, but depending on him for 35-plus minutes a night is unrealistic for a team with winning aspirations.

The Sixers should be riding Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday at this point. Trading Iguodala and using the amnesty clause on Brand is the best way for the Sixers to continue their momentum from last year and start a new identity all at once.