Philadelphia ? he Philadelphia 76ers should know by midweek whether Larry Brown will return for a seventh season as coach.

Brown is expected to inform the team of his intentions at a meeting with Ed Snider, chairman of the 76ers’ ownership group, two sources close to Brown told the Associated Press Sunday. The two spoke on condition they not be identified.

Snider told the Philadelphia Daily News last week that the team needs to “move on” if Brown has lost his enthusiasm for coaching the 76ers.

Brown has been on vacation since his team was eliminated by Detroit in the second round of the playoffs. He has two years left on his contract, which prohibits him from coaching another NBA team if he leaves prematurely. If Brown leaves, a big question during his meeting with Snider will be whether the 76ers release him from that clause, the sources said.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets and Toronto Raptors have coaching vacancies.

The former Kansas University coach has been with Philadelphia for six seasons — the longest tenure of an NBA coaching career that included stints with the Denver Nuggets (five years), Indiana Pacers (four years), San Antonio Spurs (31¼2 years), New Jersey Nets and ABA Carolina Cougars (each two years) and the Clippers (18 months).

LeBron James, expected to go to the Cavaliers with the top pick in the NBA draft on July 26, said he would be happy if Brown ended up in Cleveland.

“I think Larry Brown is a great teacher if we can get him,” James said Sunday. “I consider myself a student of the game, so Larry Brown would be great.”