Building a roster around Joel Embiid at this stage of his career requires not only surrounding the Cameroonian star with quality, but also reliable depth for the nights when he cannot be on the floor. With that objective in mind, the Philadelphia 76ers closed the signing of Ariel Hukporti in July, destined to compete with Adem Bona for the minutes the 2023 MVP would rest. But as soon as the preseason began, bad luck has struck the German hard.
Hukporti suffered an injury five minutes into the first preseason clash against the Knicks, an injury that already looked devastating at the moment and has since been confirmed as such. The franchise itself confirmed that the center has torn the Achilles tendon of his right leg, from which he has undergone surgery in the last hours, an ailment that, almost certainly, ends his 2026-27 season. This leaves the 76ers with a serious problem in the frontcourt.
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It’s not as if Ariel arrived as a key player or with a lot of experience, but during his two seasons in New York he has grown little by little, becoming a relatively regular figure in Mike Brown’s rotation. In fact, Towns’ and Robinson’s foul trouble even gave him the opportunity to log minutes in the Finals, where, without fanfare, he performed solidly. And now, he seemed destined to gain greater prominence on another team aiming for a championship.
No viable replacement?
Now the 76ers are left with only two true centers, which makes managing Embiid’s minutes cautiously more difficult, even if Dominick Barlow is used as a temporary fix in smaller lineups. And replacing Hukporti with another player proves to be challenging.
Although they still have an open roster spot, Philadelphia is $1.8 million away from the first apron, so, as ESPN journalist Bobby Marks notes, they cannot add another player without first freeing some salary space. And while they could obtain a Disabled Player Exception, this would be only $1.7 million, which would hardly be attractive enough to land a guaranteed center.
The third route is to rely on a player with a two-way contract, scouting talent in the G League or even among players who are currently fighting to earn a spot on a roster. In that regard, the 76ers recently signed a preseason agreement with Tacko Fall, who will be with the team during the exhibition games and who, if he convinces Nick Nurse, could become the chosen one to serve as the franchise’s third center.
