The Philadelphia 76ers have upped the ante in the East, agreeing in principle to a deal that will pay Elton Brand $82.5 million over the next five seasons.

The first domino of the 2007-08 season has officially fallen, so prepare for the onslaught of signings and trades that will now follow. Two teams in particular will be most affected by the Sixers' bold move, starting with the LA Clippers.

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.

Do the Clippers test the Hawks' resolve and make a run at Josh Smith? Frankly, adding Smith would be even better than keeping Brand, and would absolutely keep Davis interested. Adding Smith alongside Davis would make the Clippers formidable, but nowhere close to the level of the new-look Sixers.

How tough will the East be next season? It doesn't get much tougher than a Sixers team that now includes Elton Brand, Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, and a host of good, young talent. The Magic also greatly enhanced their roster today by agreeing to terms with Warriors free agent Mickael Pietrus.

It will be no easy task for the Celtics to repeat as Eastern Conference Champs . . .much less NBA Champs.