The Philadelphia 76ers have been a story all season long in the NBA mostly because of their futility on the court. The 76ers won their 10th game of the season last week which ensured they wouldn't set the record for most losses in a season, but there have been some other issues throughout the year as well.
Many of those issues, including Jahlil Okafor's fight video, had to do with immaturity and a lack of leadership. Many NBA people were concerned about this 76ers team coming into the year because they didn't really have any veterans, and that issue reared its ugly head this year. Philadelphia did eventually solve the lack of veteran leadership issue by bringing in Elton Brand, though, and after they did so things quieted down significantly.
Brand was not brought in by the 76ers to play and improve their on-court performance; he was brought in to teach the young players and help groom them. Before he signed with the 76ers Brand had reluctantly kind of retired. The 37-year-old forward was hoping to get another contract to play before this season but didn't get many calls so he decided to call it quits - but then Philadelphia came calling.
The former No. 1 overall pick only appeared in 17 games with the 76ers and averaged 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game this season. Brand was recently asked if he would consider coming back and playing another year, and he responded by saying "I think this is it".
That isn't exactly a guarantee that Brand will retire after this year, but it does seem likely as he probably knows his time has passed. With that said, Brand did say he will look at what opportunities are presented to him next season which may mean that if he gets a good offer he could come back.
With all of those factors in mind, the likelihood is that Brand will call it quits after 17 years in the league. Last offseason Brand didn't get many offers so he likely won't this offseason either, and on top of that he has said his body doesn't feel great after playing anymore and the travel is tough on his kids.
If this is indeed the end for Brand, he has had himself a very nice career. Some might say he was a bit underwhelming because he was the first overall pick in the draft, but he clearly had some longevity and he also had some very good years. Brand is a two-time All-Star that has career averages of 15.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
