LeBron James found himself in the middle for Philadelphia against Detroit, literally standing in the 76ers’ starting center spot with Joel Embiid resting. It was a vivid reminder of how thin things have gotten for the Sixers, who are now looking for help after Ariel Hukporti’s torn right Achilles tendon left them short on size.
Philadelphia has officially applied for a disabled player exception tied to Hukporti’s injury, according to a post on X from Insider Jake Fischer. “Amid the NBA’s string of early-season injuries, the Philadelphia 76ers have applied for a disabled player exception, per source, in respect of Ariel Hukporti’s torn Achilles,” he wrote.
Hukporti joined the 76ers in July on a one-year, $3.4 million deal after winning an NBA championship with New York. Over two seasons with the Knicks, he put up 2.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game across 79 appearances, including six starts.
The exception, if granted, would be worth about $1.7 million, which is half of Hukporti’s 2026-27 salary. But that alone doesn’t clear the runway for a new signing. Philadelphia is under a hard cap at the first apron and is roughly $1.8 million below that line, so it can’t add a center on a standard contract unless it first opens up more money.
That leaves the Sixers with a few possible routes: waive a player or make a trade to create the space. The issue is made worse by the fact that Philadelphia entered the season with several backup center options - Adam Bona, Tacko Fall and Dominick Barlow, along with Hukporti.
Now, the depth chart has taken another hit. Bona is day-to-day with a left foot sprain, while Barlow is sidelined by a lumbar spine bone stress problem and Fall is out with a quadriceps injury. For the moment, Embiid is the only recognized center on the roster, and Philadelphia is waiting to see whether the exception will be approved and actually give it a path to another big man.
In Other News...
Sixers Could Catch Pacers At The Perfect Time Wednesday
Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe are expected back in the 76ers lineup Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, giving Philadelphia a major boost after both sat out the previous game with injuries. Even with those reinforcements, the Sixers are still working around several absences of their own, including Dominick Barlow, Tacko Fall and Jabari Walker, so the rotation is not exactly at full strength yet.
Still, the timing could matter. Indiana arrives with its own injury concerns, and the Pacers have several players on the report, including some key names who are either out or in question for the matchup. For a Sixers team trying to stabilize itself, this is the kind of spot where getting Embiid back can change the feel of the night quickly, even if the full picture on the other side is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Adem Bona Just Put Real Pressure On The Sixers Backup Center Race
A recent run of minutes gave Adem Bona the kind of opportunity the 76ers have been waiting to see him seize. In 25 minutes, he finished with six points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, a line that underscored why the coaching staff had already envisioned him as part of the center rotation. With injuries thinning the big-man group and Andre Drummond gone, the pathway behind Joel Embiid has opened wider than expected.
Bonas case is built less on scoring than on the traits Philadelphia needs most when Embiid sits: activity, rim protection and work on the glass. The competition for backup center minutes is still shaped by who is available, but Bona has clearly put himself in position to be the primary option off the bench. For a team trying to preserve Embiid while staying solid in the frontcourt, that is no small development. [Read more 🡒]
Why The Nets Wanted No Part Of Jaylen Brown
Before Jaylen Brown ever got to Philadelphia, the Nets apparently had a chance to bring him to Brooklyn and passed. According to league insider Brian Lewis, Boston floated Brown in trade talks, but Brooklyn declined in large part because of his close relationship with Kyrie Irving, a connection the organization apparently did not want to revisit after the turbulence of Irvings run there.
For the Sixers, the backstory is part of the larger appeal of landing a player who has settled in and produced right away. Brown is performing well this season, and while the Brooklyn angle is mostly a what-if now, it helps explain why his arrival in Philadelphia mattered beyond the normal trade chatter. The Nets may have had their reasons for staying away, but the Sixers are the ones benefiting from what they saw as a clean fit. [Read more 🡒]