Sixers receive permission to interview three GM candidates

The Philadelphia 76ers have been granted permission to interview three front-office executives --Golden State's Larry Harris, Houston's Gersson Rosas and Utah's Justin Zanik-- for the franchise's vacant general manager job, league sources told ESPN.

Sixers ownership is planning to start meeting with candidates next week, league sources said.

Harris was the Milwaukee Bucks' GM from 2003 to 2008; the team reached the playoffs twice during that span. He has been with the Warriors for the past decade as a member of the coaching staff and later the front office. He was elevated to assistant GM in 2015.

Rosas has worked 18 seasons with the Rockets. He had a brief stop in 2013 as GM of the Dallas Mavericks before returning to Houston a year later.

After several years as a player agent, Zanik joined the Jazz front office as assistant GM in 2012 before leaving for the Bucks in 2016. Zanik rejoined the Jazz's front office in 2017.

The Sixers pursued a few elite NBA GMs but moved on to a more accessible pool of rising executives. Sixers managing partner Josh Harris didn't rule out keeping the interim structure in place through the 2018-19 season if the team can't find the right candidate.

The Sixers have been operating with coach Brett Brown as interim GM since the dismissal of Bryan Colangelo in June.

"There are a very small number of elite sitting GMs and they're generally under contract with teams for a long time," Harris told ESPN on Monday. "Those situations tend not to change much. For us, we need someone to add real value, which includes looking at young, up-and-coming basketball executives and non-traditional candidates.

"We're going to have a pretty selective list," Harris said. "This is not going to be huge tournament. We're going to talk to some people who aren't sitting GMs who could add value to our situation."

The Sixers promoted its current front office, including Ned Cohen, Marc Eversley and Elton Brand, this week to new titles and broader responsibilities.