Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

76ers to interview their front-office personnel for vacant GM spot; Denver candidate drops out

Nuggets general manager Arthus Karnisovas was scheduled to interview for the position but decided against it, a source said.

Elton Brand.
Elton Brand.Read more(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The 76ers have said they will consider internal candidates to become the team's next general manager, and they are expected to interview those people next week.

According to multiple NBA sources, the Sixers will interview Elton Brand, Marc Eversley, Ned Cohen, and Alex Rucker for the position that opened after Bryan Colangelo resigned in June. Coach Brett Brown has served as interim head of basketball operations during the search for Colangelo's replacement.

Multiple league sources said that Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas was scheduled to interview for the position this week. But another NBA source said Karnisovas will not interview because of family concerns and pressure from the Nuggets to remain. Karnisovas has been the Nuggets GM since June 13, 2017.

The Sixers did interview former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin this summer, according to a source. However, the Sixers decided he wasn't a good fit and decided to move on.

They have been open about hiring a general manager willing to work in a collaborative decision-making setting instead of having the final say.

Brand is the Sixers' vice president of basketball operations and general manager of their G-League team, the Delaware Blue Coats. He also had two playing stints with the Sixers. He most recently signed with the team in January 2016 to be a mentor to the young players.

Brand retired in October 2016, ending a 17-year career that started when the Chicago Bulls chose him with the first pick in the 1999 draft.

The 6-foot-8, 265-pounder's previous stop before rejoining the Sixers was with the Atlanta Hawks for two seasons. Brand previously played four seasons for the Sixers before he was waived on July 12, 2012.

Cohen is the Sixers' assistant general manager.  Eversley is the senior vice president of player personnel, and Rucker is the senior vice president of analytics and strategy.

The Sixers interviewed Utah Jazz assistant general manager Justin Zanik on Tuesday. They also scheduled interviews for this week with Houston Rockets vice president Gersson Rosas and Larry Harris, the Golden State Warriors' assistant general manager and director of player personnel. Harris is a former general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Rosas had a short stint as Dallas Mavericks general manager.