The Philadelphia 76ers came out victorious in their first preseason game of the 2026-27 season. There were many positives to take away from this game, but there was also a massive injury that could have an impact on the season.
Backup center Ariel Hukporti, signed this offseason after spending the first part of his career with the New York Knicks, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Let’s take a look at what happens now for the 76ers after this news.
The 76ers are not able to sign an outside free agent right now, even if they receive an exception for Hukporti’s injury. They will have to wait until December to make any moves like that, as they are hard-capped with salary restrictions.
Adem Bona will certainly step into the main backup center role, a spot where he was expected to battle for no matter what. The next man up when Joel Embiid inevitably misses some games this season is where it gets tricky.
Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow, two depth power forwards, will be the main players used to replace Hukporti. They will be giving up some size, but they are two capable players. Walker replaced Hukporti at center when he went down in the preseason opener, scoring 11 points and bringing in 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes.
Tacko Fall is currently dealing with an injury himself, but the reasonable next step would be converting his Exhibit 10 deal into a two-way contract. The 76ers will be in need of another big body to have in case of emergency. There’s not much bigger than Fall.
Fall is not necessarily the best option to carry in this case, but he’s the most realistic. The 7’6 center could be in a perfect position to get a spot on the opening day roster in Philadelphia.
This is where the 76ers can actually improve their roster. The NBA trade deadline is in early February and is followed by a spree of buyouts across the league. The backup center position will need to be addressed once this process is over.
So, who are realistic options that the 76ers could target later in the season to be their backup center? Amongst current free agents, the obvious choice would be Kevin Love. The relationship with LeBron James would likely be the driving factor.
A buyout candidate to monitor for when February’s trade deadline comes around is Los Angeles Clippers center Brook Lopez. The veteran would be a great option off the bench and could slot into the starting lineup when Embiid misses time.
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