Falk said that he found out, belatedly, that the Clippers had been negotiating with Brand without his agent. "I didn't know it then, I know it now," Falk said. "I know it after the fact. It's probably the reason that the deal fell apart."
Still, once the negotiations officially began between the parties last week, with Falk involved, a sticking point became an early termination option that Brand wanted.
Brand said he was told the Clippers could not get owner Donald T. Sterling on the phone to grant the request. So, he and Falk immediately began to look elsewhere.
"It's negotiations. No matter what was said, David Falk, my registered agent, never agreed to any deal" with the Clippers, Brand said.
Said Dunleavy: "I don't know what poisoned Elton against us. But obviously something did. I loved Elton as a player. I'm disappointed and hurt that he left us, but I wish him the best in his future career in Philadelphia."
Late last week, after the Warriors offered Brand $90 million, the Clippers upped their offer to $75 million. Then, Tuesday, the 76ers made a trade to clear some cap space for Brand. That was when the Clippers offered him an $81-million deal for five years, a deal, Falk said, that was only extended after the organization knew they had accepted Philadelphia's offer.
Brand reiterated that he felt the Clippers' first offer was a take-it-or-leave it demand: "That's exactly what it was. Or that's what they said it was. And then, they came back and matched. But it's like, 'OK, do that the first time.' "
Dunleavy said the Clippers never got the proper chance, because the communication lines had been cut.
In the end, Brand said the decision was made to be closer to his family -- he is from New York -- and the chance to play with a strong, young nucleus in Philadelphia.
And what about that potential Brand-Davis pairing?
"That could have been a good team and a real special team. But sometimes, enough is enough," Brand said. "I wish them well. They're not bad people and this isn't like a get-out-of-jail card."
But, he is gone, with a Clippers Nation wondering what went so wrong, so fast.
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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Clippers' wish list
The Clippers turn their attention to Josh Smith and Emeka Okafor to fill void left by Elton Brand:
JOSH SMITH
Guard/forward
Averaged 17.2 points and 2.8 blocks last season for Atlanta. He's a restricted free agent so the Hawks can match any offer.
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EMEKA OKAFOR
Forward/center
Okafor, also a restricted free agent, averaged 13.8 points and 10.7 rebounds
last season for Charlotte.
