Report: Brett Brown expected to be fired after 76ers are knocked out of playoffs

The Philadelphia 76ers’ playoff run has been a total bust, and Brett Brown might finally pay for that with his job.

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the expectation is that Brown will be fired after the Sixers are eliminated. The elimination could come as soon as Sunday, with Philadelphia down 3-0 to Boston in its first-round playoff series.

Brown has been the head coach of the Sixers since 2013. He guided them through the “process” period of the franchise, in which the team stockpiled high draft picks. Those draft picks have largely come of age, but playoff success has eluded the Sixers. They’ve lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in consecutive seasons, with a quarterfinal exit looking likely in 2020.

Pompey notes that some of Brown’s problems are his own fault. Brown reportedly played a role in pushing out Jimmy Butler. That’s ironic at this point, as Brown has said the Sixers need a player a lot like Butler these days. Pompey also says that top draft picks such as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were allowed to do whatever they wanted and developed a sense of entitlement. That, however, isn’t purely Brown’s fault.

It was obvious that Brown was on the hot seat based on Elton Brand’s comments in February. The Sixers needed a deep playoff run to justify keeping their coach. They’re clearly not going to get it, so Brown is on his way out.