The 76ers brought in sharp shooting Jason Kapono in a trade with the Raptors and he should help them off the bench. Center Primoz Brezec will earn some backup minutes after signing on as a free agent. Veteran point guard Royal Ivey came back to the Sixers when he found out that he wasn’t that wanted. But, the guy the Sixers really need to shine is 1st round pick Jrue Holiday. That’s because the Sixers need a point guard after letting Andre Miller sign with the Trailblazers. Backup power forward was moved to the Raptors in the Kapono trade.

GRADE FOR THE FRONT OFFICE SO FAR: D-

The Sixers have re-signed 27-year old guard Royal Ivey to a 1-year deal. Ivey played in 71 games (0 starts) for the 76ers last season and he averaged 12.1 minutes, 3.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He has now played in 334 games (109 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 13.8 minutes, 3.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The Sixers should have signed someone else instead of Ivey who brings very little to the table.

The 76ers have signed 29-year old center Primoz Brezec to a 1-year deal. Brezec played for Virtus Roma of the Italian League last season. He last played in the NBA during the 2007-2008 season working for the Bobcats, Pistons and Raptors. Brezec has played in 320 games (214 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 7.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Brezec is a tad soft and he will play off the bench for the Sixers this season.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected 19-year old point guard Jrue Holliday with the 17th pick in the NBA Draft last night. Holliday played in 35 games in his only season at UCLA and he averaged 8.5 points, 3,8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Holliday has a lot of learning to do before he’s ready for prime time. The hope here is that the Sixers re-sign Andre Miller and let Holliday learn behind him.

The 76ers have acquired 28-year old SF/SG Jason Kapono from the Raptors for 29-year old power forward Reggie Evans. Kapono is a stone cold three point shooter as he has nailed 45.4% of those shots in his NBA career. Kapono played in 80 games (12 starts) for the Raptors last season and he averaged 22.9 minutes, 8.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Kapono has now played in 401 games (73 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 19.2 minutes, 7.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Having Kapono in the 2009-2010 NBA season should really help the 76ers stretch the floor on offense.

Reggie Evans played in 79 games (7 starts) for the 76ers last season and he averaged 14.4 minutes, 3.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. In two years with the Sixers Evans played in 160 games (68 starts) in which he averaged 18.9 minutes, 4.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Evans is a excellent rebounder but the Sixers felt they needed shooting help more which is the reason for this trade which should help both teams.

The 76ers have signed 35-year old forward Donyell Marshall to a 1-year deal. Marshall played in 26 games (1 start) last season for the Supersonics and Cavaliers. In those games he averaged 13.1 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Marshall is a much better player than he showed last season as he got rusty due to a lack of playing time. Marshall has now played in 932 games (422 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 26.7 minutes, 11.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. This was a nice signing as Marshall should be able to give the Sixers some solid minutes off the bench and some veteran leadership in the locker room.

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed 35-year old center Theo Ratliff to a 1-year, $1.4 million dollar contract. Ratliff is still a good rebounder and defender off of the bench. He played in 26 games (9 starts) for Minnesota and Detroit last season and he averaged 16.8 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Ratliff should do a good job of giving Samuel Dalembert a break in the middle for 10-15 minutes per night. Ratliff has now played in 705 games (504 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 27.0 minutes, 7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 2.6 blocks per game. This is good move for the Sixers as Ratliff should help on the bench.

The 76ers have signed guard Kareem Rush and they will use him off the bench. The 27-year old Rush played in 71 games (15 starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 21.2 minutes, 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. I hate to classify last season as a “career” year for Rush but that’s exactly what is was. He has now played in 314 games (77 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 18.2 minutes, 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Rush should help out the Sixers as long as he’s not being counted on for big minutes.

The 76ers have signed reserve guard Royal Ivey to a 2-year contract. The 26-year old Ivey should be able to give the Sixers 15-20 decent minutes per night. He played in 75 games (20 starts) for the Bucks last season and he averaged 19.2 minutes, 5.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Don’t expect big numbers out of Ivey but he is a solid bench player and he should be worth what the Sixers are paying him (league minimum). Ivey has now played in 263 games (109 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 14.3 minutes, 4.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed power forward Elton Brand to a 5-year, $82 million dollar contract. The 29-year old Brand missed most of last season recovering from a torn ACL but he’s healthy right now. Brand played in 8 games (6 starts) with the Clippers last season and he averaged 34.3 minutes, 17.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. The Sixers expect Brand to give them a huge boost on offense as he will likely be the go to man down low. Brand has now played in 614 games (609 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 38.3 minutes, 20.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 blocked shots. This was a great signing for the Sixers as Brand will help them big time on both ends of the basketball court.