The Philadelphia 76ers continue to make moves in the first 24 hours of free agency.
Just about 12 hours after reportedly agreeing to terms with former Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade, the Sixers are now reported to have agreed to a one-year, $3.4 million deal with former New York Knicks reserve center Ariel Hukporti, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The German-born big was a bit down the depth chart for the Knicks’ championship squad, featuring in 54 contests but averaging just 9.3 minutes per outing. Highlights of his sophomore season include a 12-point, nine-rebound performance in a blowout win over the Washington Wizards in which he shot 5-for-6 from the floor and 1-for-2 from long range. Hukporti also put up an eight-point, 16-rebound, four-block game against the Atlanta Hawks back in February.
At this point, it almost goes without saying that having solid backup big options are paramount for a Joel Embiid-centric Sixers team. Even at his absolute best, Embiid is simply not going to be available every single night, nor is he available all 48 minutes of the game he plays. For the past few seasons, having someone able to viably step in as the backup five has been… iffy, to say the least. Will Hukporti be able to fill that role? Not a clue, honestly. Being so far down the Knicks’ depth chart doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that he can back up Embiid, but I suppose we’re certainly going to find out.
This signing does raise some questions about whether Adem Bona is still part of the vision for the Sixers. Bona is still in his four-year contract, but the 2026-27 season is fully non-guaranteed until the end of the 2026 Moratorium, meaning he could be waived any time before July 6 without having to take a dead cap hit. Hukporti and Bona seem alike upon first glances of play and statistics in that they are both athletic guys that can block shots, but both struggle with committing fouls and neither can be relied upon to score much. Again, it’s just first glances, but it does seem slightly redundant to have two young bigs with similar weaknesses to support Embiid, especially paying Hukporti more than the minimum.
Speaking of the finances, since this is more than Hukporti’s minimum salary, it has to come out of either the remainder of the non-taxpayer MLE or the $5.5 million bi-annual exception. The Sixers now project to be roughly $13 million under the first-apron hard cap with 13 players under contract.
