- Ariel Hukporti’s season-ending Achilles tear left the 76ers with a very specific problem: they need another backup center, but the cleanest answer may not arrive in one move.
- Philadelphia is now weighing two tracks at once.
- One is external, with Jake Fischer of The Stein Line mentioning Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims and Dallas Mavericks center Moussa Cissé as possibilities.
- The other is internal, with Adem Bona positioned to get a real chance to claim minutes that opened up when Hukporti went down.
- The Sixers are only about $1.8 million below the first apron, which limits how freely they can operate.
- One of those stopgaps may be the last two-way roster spot, which the team is expected to use on another backup big.
- The Sixers have already set a timeline to get him back in action by two weeks into training camp, and Bona said he feels the summer work has kept him ready.
- The calendar is still pushing the Sixers toward December before a standard-deal addition becomes realistic.
- For now, the next backup center could be a signing, a waiver claim, or simply Bona getting the first real crack at the job.
Sixers face a backup-center fork in the road after Ariel Hukporti’s season-ending injury
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Sources & Referenced Reporting
- libertyballers.com, “Sixers linked to a pair of backup center options to replace Ariel Hukporti,” Oct. 16, 2026.
- libertyballers.com, “Can Adem Bona make the most of increased opportunity with the Sixers?,” Oct. 14, 2026.
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