Philly bag Brand

Philadelphia did not release details of the deal but media reports said the 29-year-old had signed a five-year contract worth $82 million.

A two-time All-Star, Brand opted out of the final year of his contract with the L.A. Clippers in order to enter free agency. Brand had been with the Clippers for seven seasons after entering the NBA with Chicago in 1999 when he was the first overall pick in the draft and was joint rookie of the year.

The forward missed all but the last eight games of last season after he ruptured his left Achilles tendon last August. In nine years in the NBA he has made 609 starts and averages 20.3 points.

"We are very excited about adding a player of Elton Brand's calibre," said 76ers general manager Ed Stefanski. "We fully believe that his considerable talent, wealth of experience and proven leadership will mesh very well with the style of play of this team and he will be valuable member of this organization for years to come."

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The big trade from Europe saw Spanish center Marc Gasol, younger brother of Lakers forward and All-Star Pau Gasol, signed by his sibling's former team, the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 23-year-old has played the last five seasons in the Spanish ACB League and was named Most Valuable Player for Akasvayu Girona after his 2007-08 campaign.

"The Grizzlies are pleased to be adding Marc Gasol to our team," Memphis general manager Chris Wallace said. "Marc is a very skilled center in terms of his shooting and passing, possesses outstanding toughness, and is a winning, team-oriented player. He has done a remarkable job transforming his body. Marc is one of the premier players in Europe."

Memphis acquired the draft rights for the 7'1" Gasol from the Lakers along with guard Jarvis Crittenton, forward Kwame Brown, guard Aaron McKie, two first round draft picks and cash considerations.

The deal was in exchange for a 2010 second round pick and the older Gasol, who moved to the Lakers from Memphis in February. Gasol junior, who averaged 16.2 points and 8.3 rebounds for Girona in 2007-08, will become the third Spaniard to play for the Grizzlies after his brother (2001-08) and Juan Carlos Navarro (2007-08).

The younger Gasol helped Spain win the gold medal at the 2006 world championships and silver at the 2007 European championships. He will represent his country again at the Beijing Games in August.

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In the most numerous trade of the day, the Indiana Pacers brought in seven new players after multi-player trades with Toronto and Portland.

They acquired T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston and Roy Hibbert from Toronto with Jermaine O'Neal and Nathan Jawai heading in the opposite direction.

In the deal with Portland, Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts and Brandon Rush move to Indiana in exchange for Ike Diogu and Jerryd Bayless.

Pacers Coach Jim O'Brien said he was pleased with the deals.

"Our team will have a completely different look next year. Overall, the seven new players we have give us a completely different look than we had last year and we have maintained the guys that got the majority of playing time at the end of last season," he told the Pacers website.

Indiana finished third in the Eastern Conference's Central divison, failing to make the post-season.

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The Miami Heat, meanwhile, signed three-point specialist James Jones.

Miami-born Jones, who shot 44.4 percent from three point range last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, became a free agent after he opted out of the final year of his contract with Portland.

The Heat gave no details of the terms of the deal for Jones who spent four years with the University of Miami before joining the NBA.

The Sun-Sentinel newspaper said the deal guaranteed the player two years with the Heat on a starting salary of around $4 million. Before joining the Trail Blazers, Jones had spent two years with the Phoenix Suns.

The Heat, who have struggled in the past two seasons after winning the title in 2006, have been looking for a three point specialist for some time.