The 76ers’ center situation took another hit when Ariel Hukporti went down with a right Achilles rupture in Philadelphia’s preseason opener against the Knicks on Oct. 5. That left the frontcourt thinner, but Wednesday’s roster shuffle in Toronto may have handed the Sixers a clean answer: Trey Jemison III.
The Raptors waived the 26-year-old two-way center Wednesday afternoon after he dealt with a hand injury a few games back. With two-way spots now open in Toronto, Jemison is out of a home for the moment - and Philadelphia has a path to bring him in. The Sixers could wait for him to clear 48-hour waivers and use their final two-way contract, or they could put in a claim and make sure no one else beats them to it if he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Jemison has bounced around the league since entering it in 2023-24, spending time with five different teams. His best statistical stretch came as a rookie with Memphis, when he averaged a career-high 7.4 points in 14 starts. He got the most attention during his Lakers stop, though, when Los Angeles needed center help after essentially sending Anthony Davis out for Luka Doncic.
In that role, Jemison gave the Lakers real minutes as a backup. He flashed as a lob target, worked the glass with force, and made himself felt around the rim. Even so, the production stayed modest: 2.6 points and 1.9 fouls in 10.3 minutes per game.
That’s the tradeoff with Jemison. He hasn’t shown he can be a steady NBA rotation big, and the issues have been obvious - foul trouble, limited mobility, and not much to work with offensively. Still, Toronto had enough interest to put him on a two-way deal, and he remains eligible for one because he has only three seasons in the league.
There’s another wrinkle that could matter to Philadelphia: Jemison spent the full 2025-26 season with the Knicks and appeared in 13 games. That gives him some familiarity with the defending champs and a bit of championship experience to bring into a locker room.
Philadelphia still has one two-way slot open, with Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert already occupying the other two. Mike Gansey would be wise to use that last spot on a center, especially with Adem Bona now the lone non-Joel Embiid big man after Hukporti’s injury.
The Sixers can tinker with small-ball combinations, using Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow, Dean Wade, and LeBron James. But Jemison can supply one thing those options don’t: size. He and Bona both stand 6-foot-10, but recent measurements list Jemison at 35 pounds heavier, and that bulk matters when it comes to protecting the rim and setting screens.
At almost 27, Jemison isn’t exactly a breakout bet. But centers can still add skills later than most players, and there are examples. Brook Lopez and Drummond didn’t sharpen their shooting until after their statistical peaks.
Jemison probably isn’t going to reach that level. Even so, he would give Philadelphia another body to develop and another piece to lean on while trying to sort out the minutes behind Embiid. With the Sixers sitting $1.8 million shy of the first tax apron, that kind of low-risk move carries real value.
In Other News...
Sixers Still Have One Preseason Question Before Celtics Tuneup
The final preseason stop comes Friday night in South Philadelphia, where the 76ers will get one more look at themselves against the Celtics before the games start to count. Nick Nurse has said he plans to run out his first-choice starting lineup, a useful chance to sharpen the rotation and see how the group responds against a familiar East opponent after what has been a relatively healthy training camp.
Two players will sit this one out, with Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona ruled out because of injuries even though both have been taking part in practice. For a team trying to build rhythm and settle its opening-night look, the bigger issue now is less about who is unavailable and more about whether this group can leave the preseason with the right feel heading into the regular-season opener. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Fans Will Have Strong Feelings About VJ Edgecombes Priorities
VJ Edgecombes priorities have already drawn attention before his first season has fully settled into the bigger picture around the 76ers. The young guard said representing the Bahamas at the Olympics would mean more to him than winning an NBA championship, pointing to the chance to help his country reach a stage it has never reached in Olympic mens basketball. For a player just beginning his pro journey, it was a candid answer that spoke as much to identity and heritage as it did to basketball ambition.
Jason Williams, though, was not having it, arguing that players in the league should place the organization paying their salary above anything else. It is the kind of comment that tends to hit a nerve with Philadelphia fans, who expect total commitment and are already learning what makes Edgecombe tick. The tension here is less about whether he cares about winning than about where he sees his greatest responsibility, and that debate figures to follow him as his profile grows. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Suddenly Face A Joel Embiid Question Nobody Wanted
Joel Embiids preseason showing was enough to spark an uncomfortable round of league talk around the 76ers, the kind that usually gets brushed off in October but can linger if it keeps coming up. ESPNs Kendrick Perkins raised concerns about Embiids performance, and the conversation quickly veered into bigger-picture territory, with LeBron James even mentioned as a possible player who could spend more time at center in certain lineup ideas.
Around Philadelphia, the more relevant part is not the LeBron chatter but the way Embiids early form has reopened a hypothetical that nobody in the building wants to entertain. CBS Sports Sam Quinn floated the idea that the Sixers could at least think about a Joel Embiid-Anthony Davis swap if Embiid struggles and Davis stays healthy, while reports also say Davis agent, Rich Paul, is exploring trade options with an extension with the Wizards looking unlikely. For now, it is all speculative noise, but it has put Embiids immediate readiness under a brighter spotlight than the Sixers probably expected this early. [Read more 🡒]