With the NBA regular season closing in, roster cuts are starting to create fresh opportunities across the league - and for the Philadelphia 76ers, every available two-way center suddenly matters a little more.
That’s why Trey Jemison III is worth watching. The former Toronto Raptors big man was waived Wednesday, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, after a one-game preseason stint with Toronto in 2026. In that outing, Jemison played eight minutes and didn’t record a stat.
The 76ers are not locked into using their final two-way spot on a center, but the fit is obvious given where things stand. Jemison has already spent time with the championship-winning New York Knicks during the 2025-2026 NBA season, appearing in 13 games off the bench after signing a two-way deal last September.
He doesn’t bring much of the spacing NBA teams usually want from a center these days, but Philadelphia’s current needs point in a different direction. For a No. 3 big, the Sixers may care more about size, effort, and toughness than shooting range.
That’s where Jemison’s appeal starts. His game is built on physicality and rebounding, and his NBA track record shows it. Across 76 appearances with the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, and Knicks, he has averaged 3.4 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game.
Offense has never been his selling point, and that remains the biggest question. Still, Philadelphia’s recent center moves suggest the team hasn’t made scoring the priority at that spot. The Sixers brought in Ariel Hukporti, who averaged 2.1 points per game across two seasons, and Tacko Fall, who put up 2.2 points per game in 37 appearances over three years.
The bigger issue is the state of the position itself. Hukporti will miss the entire 2026-2027 NBA season after tearing his Achilles in the preseason opener last week.
Adem Bona had a chance to seize the backup job behind Joel Embiid, but he is dealing with a foot injury and has not yet made his debut this year. Fall, meanwhile, suffered a hip injury in the second training camp session and has not returned to the floor.
In Other News...
LeBron's Sixers Deal Now Has An Off-Court Problem
LeBron James fit with the 76ers has already been one of the most closely watched moves of the year, and now the conversation has shifted well beyond the court. A reported sponsorship arrangement with Fanatics has drawn fresh scrutiny because it is said to include on-demand helicopter travel, a detail that has some NBA owners wondering whether the line between endorsement and compensation is getting too blurry.
Pablo Torre is digging into the contract between James and Fanatics, and the interest around it goes beyond a simple endorsement splash. The deal is reportedly structured to extend past James playing days, which only adds to the intrigue as the league monitors anything that could be viewed as salary cap circumvention. For Philadelphia, it is one more layer of uncertainty around a marquee addition that was supposed to be judged first by basketball, not by the fine print. [Read more 🡒]
LeBrons 76ers Travel Setup Has Rival Owners Paying Attention
LeBron James plan to split his regular-season time between Philadelphia and New York has already become one of the more unusual travel stories around the league, and the setup is drawing notice well beyond the cities hell be calling home. James says hell use a helicopter to get to home games, and the aircraft carries a Fanatics logo, tying the arrangement to his multi-year sponsorship deal with the company and its corporate helicopter access.
What has made the story linger is not just the travel itself, but the way rival owners are watching it. According to reporter Pablo Torre, some NBA team owners have raised concerns about whether the arrangement could come with extra privileges, even though there have been no official findings. For the 76ers, it is the kind of off-court wrinkle that can turn into a broader league conversation almost as quickly as it becomes a logistical one. [Read more 🡒]
76ers Still Have One Big Issue To Solve Before Opening Night
With LeBron James now heading into his 24th NBA season with the 76ers, the preseason has become less about polishing a finished product and more about figuring out how all the new pieces fit together. Philadelphia is 1-2 so far, and the early focus has been on building chemistry among teammates still learning each others tendencies, especially with Jaylen Brown newly in the mix after arriving from Boston.
Labaron Philon has also been part of that adjustment period, with the rookie guard talking about the advice he has received from James as he starts his NBA career. For the 76ers, the preseason results matter less than the bigger question lingering before opening night: whether enough of that connection can come quickly enough to smooth out the remaining issue still hanging over the roster. [Read more 🡒]