The Atlanta Hawks have been linked to many candidates for the vacant president of basketball operations role, including Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand. However, Brand’s candidacy is officially over at his request.
Brand, who played two seasons with the Hawks in 2014 and 2015, also has ties to the coaching staff and ownership.
He is a Duke alum, just like Hawks head coach Quin Snyder and minority owner Grant Hill.
“Per sources: 76ers general manager Elton Brand has withdrawn from Atlanta’s president of basketball operations search,” NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on X on May 6. “Brand played for Hawks and holds strong relationships within the franchise, but is staying with Philadelphia for an important offseason.”
Brand rose to his current role quickly after retiring in 2016. He spent one season as GM of the Sixers’ G League affiliate before joining the big club. He was promoted from executive vice president of basketball operations to the GM chair in 2018.
The Sixers won 51 and 43 games over Brand’s first two years, boasting a .606 winning percentage. Current Sixers president Daryl Morey joined the organization in 2021.
They had a .632 winning percentage under Morey’s control before going 24-58 in 2024-25.
One question for the Hawks would have been how much better Brand would have gotten had he maintained full say. They would have also had to ask how much of a head start Morey had before he took over.
Elton Brand's decision latest wrinkle for Hawks
The Sixers have dealt with roster turmoil and turnover, and the same goes for their coaching staff. They mirror the Hawks in that way
Still, Brand has been part of a group that made the playoffs every season before this past one.
The Hawks have also been linked to former Golden State Warriors executive Bob Myers. He is familiar with Hawks GM Onsi Saleh from their time together in the Bay. He has also attracted a lot of interest, though, and is said to be happy in his roles as a TV analyst and NFL consultant.
Additionally, the Hawks have conducted a pair of interviews with a pair of executives who are only recently removed from their previous roles in Calvin Booth and Monte McNair.
The Hawks fired general manager Landry Fields this offseason.
Atlanta is following a familiar pattern, with Saleh’s Warriors roots harkening back to their run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. Then, it was former team president Travis Schlenk’s pet project.
Schlenk also came from the Warriors. That saga ended prematurely amid conflicting (and multiple) opinions, just as Fields’ did.
The Hawks’ search remains intriguing on many levels.