Ariel Huckport wasn’t the biggest addition the Philadelphia 76ers made in the offseason, but the Knicks brought in the center to provide some much-needed center depth after the oft-injured Joel Embiid.
Huckport saw 9.2 minutes per game in the reserve champion Knicks, but on the line was a much bigger role in Philadelphia. But that changed on Monday night when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the 76ers’ preseason opener. Huckport will have surgery later Tuesday, the team said, before his season ends even begin.
It’s a wild move for Huckport, who signed a one-year, $3.4 million contract with Philadelphia with the idea that he can further establish himself as a quality NBA rotation player after a solid sophomore season in New York. Given how the Sixers are managing Embiid’s minute loads and health with an eye on the playoffs, it’s meant for Huckport to see a significant uptick in the playoffs in Philly compared to his role with the Knicks.
He will now spend time recovering and recovering from an Achilles injury, creating a major question mark for the team’s championship aspirations by adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in the offseason.
Why Hawkport’s injury matters to the 76ers
From the team’s perspective, it’s also a significant blow to the 76ers, who will be difficult to navigate financially. The Sixers are in the first round of trading Brown, and while they can use the disabled player exception to open up a roster spot for Huckport’s replacement, it won’t allow them to pass the first round.
The Sixers are currently $1.8 million below the first cap, which is less than enough or the minimum contract, which would range from just over $2.1 million for a player with one year of experience to $3.8 million for a veteran with 10 plus years of experience. That means acquiring a center — which they almost certainly will have to do this year, given the need to manage Embiid’s health — the Sixers will either need to move the number to clear cap space or wait until the projected minimum contract drops below $1.8 million.
This option seems risky because they don’t want to lean too heavily on Embiid early in the season, even with all the commentary outside of training camp about his chiseled body with an eye 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, relying on Bona in big moments isn’t ideal for the team’s championship aspirations.
The best option to clear cap space is to retire Jabari Walker, whose contract is only guaranteed for $250,000 until January 10, per Spotrac. He’ll give himself enough money to sign some veteran-level minimum deal, but the options there are still limited.
What free agent centers are available?
Aside from the financial challenge, the free agent pool has largely dried up at this point.
The Sixers could pursue a veteran like Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk or Bismack Biyombo, who all played deep backup last year behind Victor Wembanyama and Lucas 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 them particularly appeals, but Olynyk is probably the best option given that he played most of that 2025-26 package.
The Sixers could look to make a trade with the team boasting centers, but their trade options are limited until December 15, when players signed this summer become eligible to be dealt. Walker would initially be a sensible trade option when Anfernee Simons becomes eligible on Dec. 15, and could bring a better return with a $6 million salary.
Before making the move, Philadelphia had more small ball lineups with players like Walker, Dean Wade and Dominic Barlow staying at the 5 spot.
All told, there aren’t many good options for Huckport’s replacement on the Sixers, and while the German center wasn’t top of mind in discussions about the Sixers’ roster in the summer, a preseason injury quickly highlighted just how important he would be.
For Philadelphia as it is, Embiid’s health has always been vital. The Sixers need to get him back to healthy players, but now they’re forced to lean on him more than they did at the start of the season when he suddenly suffered a setback at center.