The Elton Brand-to-Philly Fallout

So Elton Brand heads to Philly, the sky falls, and balance of power in the NBA shifts just a little. But as HOOPSWORLD points out, this decision could have serious repercussions:

Do the Clippers now lose Baron Davis, who had reached a verbal agreement to join the team with the understanding that he would be playing alongside Brand. Now that Brand is gone, will the Clippers lose Davis, too? It's not a stretch to say Davis would back out of his verbal agreement with the Clips in favor of returning to the Warriors, who now have a better chance at being a playoff team than the Clips.

Oh, and it gets juicier. Since the Sixers were supposedly making a mega-push for Josh Smith, the high-flying Hawk is now flapping in the wind once again. Which, in these parts, means he only has Atlanta pining for his services. But what if, as HOOPSWORLD suggests, the Clippers turn their eyes toward Smith, in an attempt to keep Baron on board?

One thing's for sure: We probably shouldn't make too much of these verbal agreements. Even the ones that seem perfectly reasonable. Heck, as far as I know, Brand could still back out of this thing with Philly. Wouldn't that make for a wacky summer -- and really add a new element of chaotic energy to the rumor mill.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.