Amnesty allows the Sixers to keep the final year of Brand's contract - worth almost $18.2 million - from counting against their salary cap. Teams below the salary cap ($58 million) are permitted to bid for Brand's services. The team that signs him will pay Brand a determined amount of the pact and the Sixers will pay the remainder.
The Sixers signed Brand to a five-year, $79 million deal in July 2008. In four seasons, he appeared in 246 games with 221 starts, averaging 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.33 blocks, and 1.01 steals in 31.5 minutes per game.
The Sixers also announced that they had signed shooting guard Nick Young, 27, to a one-year deal worth about $6 million.
Young (6-7, 210) was the 16th overall pick by Washington in the 2007 NBA draft. He spent his first 41/2 seasons with the Wizards before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in March.
Young had his best season in 2010-11. He appeared in 64 games - 40 as a starter - and averaged a career-high 17.4 points. That season, Young connected on 44.1 percent of his field goals. He also made 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts.
Last season, while splitting time between Washington and the Clippers, Young averaged 14.2 points per game.
Young was brought in to replace the departed reserve guard Lou Williams. Last season, Williams, who opted out of the final year of his contract and recently signed with his hometown Atlanta Hawks, led the Sixers with 14.9 points. However, Williams disappeared in the playoffs. In 13 games, Williams averaged 11.5 points but made just 35.2 percent of his field goals. From behind the three-point line he was even worse, making just 16.7 percent.
On Wednesday night, the Sixers completed a three-team trade with Golden State and New Orleans. The Sixers obtain forward Dorell Wright from Golden State and center Darryl Watkins from New Orleans. The Sixers sent the rights to Edin Bavcic to the Hornets, who are also trading Jarrett Jack to the Warriors.
Contact staff writer John N. Mitchell at jmitchell@philly.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmitchInquirer. Read his "Deep Sixer" blog at philly.com/deepsixer.
