Brand 'not looking to trade' Simmons and Embiid

Any changes coming to the Philadelphia 76ers won't include trading their two star players, according to general manager Elton Brand.

"I'm not looking to trade Ben (Simmons) and Joel (Embiid)," Brand said Tuesday, according to the Bucks County Courier Times' Tom Moore.
"I'm looking to complement them to make them better."

Simmons missed the 76ers' short playoff run after injuring his knee during seeding games.

Brand was speaking a day after the Sixers fired head coach Brett Brown and two days after a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics. The team is reported to be interested in Los Angeles Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue, among other candidates.

The GM said Tuesday that he is "looking for a coach that's going to maximize our talent."

The 76ers' roster is handcuffed by financial constraints beyond Embiid and Simmons. Forwards Tobias Harris and Al Horford are on the books for a combined $125 million over the next two seasons.

"My goal and my focus is to continue to get this team over the hump to truly contend," Brand said. "And that's my marching orders. The financial realities of the world, I understand them, but my goal is to keep this team relevant and find a way to win."

Though his job appears safe, Brand added that changes could come to the team's front office.

"We're strong in the strategic and analytic standpoint," he said, according to The Athletic's Derek Bodner. "Get some more basketball minds in here. But all options are open."