Less than three weeks after the end of their season, the Sixers began long-term planning.
On Tuesday, the Sixers reached a three-year contract extension with head coach Brett Brown, a source confirmed. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the extension, which is through the 2021-22 season.
Brown had one year remaining on his contract for the 2018-19 season. Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo wanted to take care of business sooner rather than later.
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“I don’t think it’s the healthiest of situations for coaches to go into a season with one year remaining on their contracts,” Colangelo said earlier this month. “It impacts so many aspects of what you’re doing,” (see story).
The Sixers hired Brown in August of 2013 following his long tenure on the Spurs’ coaching staff. He coached a revolving door of players through 75 wins and 253 losses in his first four years. This season, the Sixers constructed a balanced roster ready to compete. They made a complete turnaround this season, finishing 52-30, locking in third place in the East and reaching the conference semifinals.
Brown was in the mix for Coach of the Year consideration along the way.
“Obviously it’s a ‘Coach of the Year’ thing, but I think it’s a ‘Coach of the Last Five Years,'" new Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said when he was still leading the Hawks (see story), adding, “I don’t want to be too dramatic, but I think he’s one of the only guys that can pull a team and an organization through what they’ve been through.”
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Brown’s extension gives the Sixers coaching consistency for the current young core. Just as significantly, it paints a clear picture for free agents as the team is positioned to make a major push on the market this summer. These players will know who they will be coached by should they sign in Philadelphia. Brown’s presence had a major impact on JJ Redick’s selection last summer to play for the Sixers.
“To be honest, he was probably the biggest factor in this decision,” Redick said of Brown (see story). “He’s someone that I’ve watched and I wanted to play for."
At the end of this season, Brown was looking forward to continuing his role as Sixers head coach.
“I think this will play out as it plays out, but I love being here,” Brown said this month. “We’ve grown something that I think all of us, when you take a deep breath, look around and collectively as an organization, I’m just so proud of where we are. I think my situation will unfold as it should.”