Brand, Sixers agree to deal

Carney, Booth expected to be traded to clear cap From staff and wire reports • July 9, 2008 Free agent forward Elton Brand has verbally agreed to sign a five-year, $82 million deal with the 76ers, the Los Angeles Times and ESPN reported Tuesday night. To make room under the salary cap for Brand's deal, the 76ers are expected to trade Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 76ers are also expected to send a first-round pick to Minnesota. It is not clear whom, if anyone, the Sixers would get back from the Timberwolves. Minnesota has a trade exception and a minimum salary player exception, which both Carney ($1.7 million) and Booth ($1.1 million) could take up. An NBA source confirmed to The News Journal that the deal with Minnesota could happen as soon as today, which is when the NBA's moratorium on... [read full story]