Williams, Iguodala and Brand want to stay with the Sixers

(Lou) Williams, who led Philadelphia in scoring despite not starting a single game this season, was second in the balloting for the N.B.A.’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. He can opt out of the final year of a contract that would pay him $6.4 million. “If I was a betting man, I think I would be back,” Williams said. “Obviously, it comes down to a deal, but I don’t think that will be the hard part. This is home for me. I feel wanted here. I hope the feeling is mutual.”

Iguodala, one of the top defenders in the league, is a candidate this summer for the Olympic team. But a solid postseason — highlighted by the winning free throws in Game 6 to eliminate the Bulls — and one more year, as well as an option on his contract, make him valuable trade bait. “I always prepare to come back and be here,” Iguodala said. 

Brand is due $18 million in the final season of his five-year contract. While he is the locker room leader and the heart of the Sixers, his production never merited the whopping deal he signed as one of the hottest free agents around. He averaged 11 points and 7.2 rebounds this season. Brand says he understands the organization will do what suits it best, but he does not want to leave. “I want to be here, absolutely,” he said, adding that if it was over, “I definitely loved my time here.”