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NBA free agency: Each team’s worst signing in franchise history

By Josh Cornelissen

Eddy Curry, New York Knicks, Ben Wallace, Chicago Bulls. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Eddy Curry, New York Knicks, Ben Wallace, Chicago Bulls. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers
Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers. (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Worst free agent signing in Philadelphia 76ers history: Elton Brand

5 years, $80 million

In the summer of 2008, former Golden State Warriors point guard Baron Davis signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, planning to team up with Elton Brand and compete in the Western Conference. Yet, Brand surprised many by opting out of his contract and signing a lucrative deal to join the Philadelphia 76ers.

A star at Duke University, Brand was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2000 for the Chicago Bulls. After two seasons with the team, he was traded to the Clippers for a solid return. He soon became the first NBA All-Star for the Clippers in eight years. He averaged 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game with Los Angeles.

In 2008, he made the move to Philadelphia, and his scoring and rebounding promptly took a nosedive. A shoulder injury ended his 2008-09 NBA season after just 29 games. Whether it was the shoulder injury, aging or something else entirely, he never got back to being the player he was in Los Angeles.

By the end of the 2011-12 NBA season, the team had plans to move on from Brand. In July 2012, the 76ers released him using the amnesty clause, which cleared his money from the salary cap. A few weeks later, the team brought in former Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum.

There were apparently no hard feelings between Brand and the 76ers, because he returned to the team for a few games before retiring. He then moved into a front office role, eventually elevating to the role of general manager. Hopefully he can avoid a mistake as a general manager like a predecessor did in signing him away from the Clippers.