The Philadelphia 76ers are unlikely to add a new center immediately following Ariel Hukporti's season-ending injury.
Per NBA insider Marc Stein, the Sixers can't tap another center at least until the end of this year due to their financial situation.
"Sources say that the Sixers are unlikely to add a big man on a standard NBA deal before early December, when a pro-rated minimum salary would no longer take the team's payroll past the first apron threshold," Stein wrote in his latest report.
"The only apparent pathway to bringing in a replacement sooner is swinging a trade that actually reduces the team's overall salary commitments by roughly $600,000."
76ers facing backup options after Ariel Hukporti injury
Ariel Hukporti went down with a season-ending Achilles tear injury during the early moments of the Philadelphia 76ers' preseason debut against the New York Knicks.
This is a brutal development for Philly, as Hukporti joined the franchise this past offseason via a one-year, $3.4 million deal.
With Hukporti out for the whole 2025-26 season, the 76ers have no choice but to rely on Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow, and Jabari Walker as their remaining backup options for Joel Embiid.
Dwight Howard sends strong message to 76ers amid center problems
In the wake of the Philadelphia 76ers' backup center problems, Dwight Howard sent a strong pitch for himself to be considered.
Recently, the former NBA star and Hall of Famer posted the highlights from his first game in Georgia, captioning the post, "Philly what we doing," as he tried to catch the attention of the franchise.
Howard, who previously played for Philadelphia in 2020-21 season and was a key teammate of LeBron James in the Los Angeles Lakers' 2020 NBA title run, is currently playing for Black Fortress Tbilisi in the European basketball league.