Ariel Hukporti wasn’t the Philadelphia 76ers’ biggest addition during a transformative offseason, but the former Knicks center was brought in to provide much-needed center depth behind the oft-injured Joel Embiid.
Hukporti saw just 9.2 minutes per game as a reserve for the champion Knicks, but was in line for a much larger role in Philadelphia. But that changed Monday night when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the 76ers’ preseason opener. Hukporti will have surgery later Tuesday, the team announced, ending his season before it even begins.
It’s a brutal turn of events for Hukporti, who signed a one-year, $3.4 million contract with Philadelphia with the idea that he would be able to further solidify himself as a quality NBA rotation player after a strong sophomore season in New York. Given how the Sixers are handling Embiid’s minutes load and health heading into the playoffs, Hukporti thought he would see a significant increase in playing time in Philadelphia compared to his role with the Knicks.
He will now spend the season recovering from an Achilles injury, creating a major question mark for a team with championship aspirations after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown during the offseason.
Why Hukporti’s injury matters to the 76ers
From a team perspective, this is also a big blow for the 76ers who will be difficult to manage financially. The Sixers are limited to the first apron after trading for Brown, and while they can request a disabled player exception to open a roster spot for a Hukporti replacement, that doesn’t allow them to clear the first apron.
The Sixers are currently $1.8 million below the first apron, which isn’t even enough for a minimum contract, which ranges from just over $2.1 million for a player with one year of experience to $3.8 million for a veteran with over 10 years of experience. That means that to acquire a center — which they will almost certainly have to do this year, given the need to manage Embiid’s health — the Sixers will either have to move their team to free up cap space or wait until a prorated minimum contract is less than $1.8 million.
The latter option seems risky because they won’t want to be forced to lean too heavily on Embiid early in the season, even with all the comments coming out of training camp about his slimmer physique in preparation for playing more. Adem Bona is the only other true center on the roster, and while he gave them a quality season in 2025-26, averaging 17.4 minutes per game in 71 appearances and 18 starts, having to rely on Bona for big minutes isn’t ideal for a team with championship aspirations.
The best option to free up cap space is to waive Jabari Walker, whose contract is only guaranteed for $250,000 through Jan. 10, according to Spotrac. That would give them enough money to sign any level of minimum deal for veterans, but options are still limited.
What free agent centers are available?
Beyond the financial challenge, the pool of free agent centers has largely dried up at this point.
The Sixers could pursue a veteran like Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk or Bismack Biyombo, all of whom spent last year as a reserve behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet in San Antonio and are available.
They could also pursue Kevin Love, Chris Boucher, Maxi Kleber or even old friend Dario Saric as a small-ball five option. None of these are particularly attractive, but Olynyk is probably the best option given that he has played the most of this group in 2025-26.
The Sixers could consider making a trade with a team with a glut of centers, but their trade options are limited until Dec. 15, when players signed this summer become eligible to be traded. Walker would be the more sensible trade option initially, while Anfernee Simons would become trade eligible on December 15 and could bring in a better return with his $6 million salary.
Before making a move, Philadelphia may be forced to play more small-ball lineups with players like Walker, Dean Wade and Dominick Barlow spending time at the 5th spot.
Overall, there aren’t many good options for the Sixers to replace Hukporti, and while the German center wasn’t a priority this summer when discussing the Sixers’ roster, his preseason injury quickly highlighted how important he was going to be.
For Philadelphia to get where it wants to go, Embiid’s health has always been vital. The Sixers need to get him healthy to the playoffs, but may now be forced to rely on him more than initially expected in the regular season with a sudden blow to their center depth.
Gn sports
