An NBA regular season can be grueling, especially for the Philadelphia 76ers , who at this point are experts at having to deal with injuries and long-term absences. The Sixers enter the season with a dream starting lineup, but the center depth behind Joel Embiid , as we have always said, is a little thin .
And that depth has now taken a massive hit that needs to be addressed, as center Ariel Hukporti suffered a terrible injury six minutes into the first preseason game and will now miss the entire season with a torn right Achilles. That's why the Sixers need to solve this as soon as possible with some kind of emergency move, so Adem Bona, who averaged 4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 71 games last season, isn't the only option behind Embiid.
So, without much more introduction to the situation, here are five centers the Philadelphia 76ers could consider with Hukporti out with a torn right Achilles.
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Trayce Jackson-Davis
Toronto Raptors Receive: Jabari Walker, 2031 second-round pick
The first call I would make is for Trayce Jackson-Davis, mainly because this is exactly the type of trade the Sixers should be looking for. He is young, cheap, has already played legitimate NBA minutes, and Philadelphia wouldn't need to touch any important part of the rotation to get him.
Jackson-Davis is making just $2.4 million this season on an expiring contract. He averaged only 3.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 9.4 minutes across 53 games last season, shooting 57.3% from the field, but the reduced role tells only part of the story. He averaged 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks as a rookie and has converted 63.1% from the field across his first three NBA seasons.
There also isn't an obvious path to major minutes with the Raptors right now. Jakob Poeltl is the starting center, Collin Murray-Boyles can handle minutes at the five, and Toronto also has Trey Jemison on the roster. Jackson-Davis is useful, but he isn't one of the pieces around which that roster is being built.
There hasn't been a report saying the Raptors are shopping him, so this is completely a trade idea from the Sixers' side. Still, the price shouldn't be crazy. Something around Jabari Walker and a future second-round pick would be the type of offer I would consider. Walker is making $2.6 million on a mostly non-guaranteed contract, so the money is almost identical. Philadelphia shouldn't offer anything more important than that for a third center.
Jackson-Davis would immediately give Nick Nurse another vertical big man who can finish around the rim, rebound offensively, set screens, and protect the rim without needing touches. He also gives the Sixers something Bona already provides, but that isn't necessarily bad here. Philadelphia needs another center who can survive NBA minutes.
With Embiid's workload always needing to be managed, Jackson-Davis could easily find 12 to 16 minutes on certain nights. At $2.4 million and only 26 years old, he would probably be my favorite option on this entire list.
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Jericho Sims
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Dominick Barlow
Jericho Sims would be another very simple target, and the Bucks suddenly have enough center depth that Philadelphia should at least ask what it would cost.
Sims averaged 5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 19.7 minutes across 67 games last season while shooting an absurd 78.4% from the field. Obviously, that percentage comes almost completely from dunks, putbacks, and shots around the basket, but that's also exactly what the Sixers would ask him to do. He doesn't need post touches, doesn't shoot threes, and doesn't change how the offense works.
The situation with the Bucks makes this more interesting. Myles Turner is there, Kel'el Ware is one of their most important young players after averaging 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds last season, and Sims is clearly the third center in that group. He also has just one year remaining at $2.8 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Again, there isn't a report saying Sims is on the trade block. This would simply be Philadelphia looking at another team's roster and seeing a player who might be more necessary for the Sixers than he is for the Bucks.
An offer built around an end-of-rotation player should at least start the conversation. Dominick Barlow makes $3.4 million and is also on an expiring contract, so throwing him in could work as a basic framework if the Sixers decide replacing Hukporti is more important than keeping another forward.
I wouldn't go much higher than that because Sims is still a limited center. He has no shooting game and averaged only 0.3 blocks per game last season. But Philadelphia isn't searching for a starter here.
The Sixers need somebody who can enter a game, rebound, screen for Maxey, finish a lob, defend the paint for 10 minutes, and keep Embiid from having to play unnecessary minutes in October or November. Sims can do all of that, and he's already proven he can handle a regular NBA rotation role.
This one would require a little patience rather than a trade. Drew Eubanks is currently in camp with the Knicks on an Exhibit 9 contract, meaning his spot isn't guaranteed. New York has Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond already locked into the center rotation, while Eubanks, James Wiseman, and Tony Bradley are competing for what could basically become one additional roster spot.
Mike Brown has already called Wiseman the early frontrunner in that competition, so instead of giving up an asset, the Sixers could simply wait. Eubanks averaged 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.1 minutes across 42 games for the Kings last season, including 11 starts, while shooting 59.6% from the field. He has now played 426 NBA games and owns career averages of 5.6 points and 4.3 rebounds on 60.3% from the field.
That's a much more proven profile than Hukporti or Bona, for example. Eubanks isn't going to change the Sixers' ceiling, and nobody should expect him to. The point is having a 29-year-old center who has played almost 6,500 NBA minutes available when Embiid sits, Bona gets into foul trouble, or Philadelphia has to play against a bigger frontcourt.
He also fits the role without needing anything offensively. Eubanks can roll, finish around the rim, rebound, set physical screens, and give Nurse another body against traditional centers. That's enough for this situation.
The financial part would also be easy if the Knicks waive him because Philadelphia could simply sign him to a minimum deal. There would be no draft compensation and no rotation player going out.
I actually think that's what makes Eubanks one of the smartest names here. The Sixers don't need to panic because Hukporti is out and start throwing second-round picks everywhere. Training camp cuts happen every October, and a veteran center with more than 400 games of experience could suddenly become available for nothing. If Eubanks loses the Knicks' roster battle, Philadelphia should call almost immediately.
If Eubanks isn't the Knicks center who becomes available, Tony Bradley easily could be. He's another player on an Exhibit 9 deal fighting for that final roster spot, and there simply isn't room for every center currently in Knicks camp.
Bradley isn't an exciting name, but this move isn't supposed to be exciting. He averaged 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists last season and has eight years of NBA experience. He also ended up playing postseason minutes for the Hawks, including multiple games in their first-round series. Bradley is 6-foot-10, 248 pounds, and still only 28 years old.
That last part is important because this wouldn't be Philadelphia signing a center who is basically finished just because he has experience. Bradley can still run the floor, finish around the rim, rebound, and provide size against second units.
He also wouldn't create any issue with Bona's development. Bona should still be the first center off the bench on most nights because he is 23 and showed enough as a rookie to deserve those minutes. Bradley would simply give Nurse another option when matchups require more size or when somebody is unavailable.
And considering what just happened to Hukporti, having that extra body becomes much more important. Bradley signed a completely non-guaranteed camp contract with the Knicks, so Philadelphia wouldn't need to construct some complicated deal here. If he gets waived, the Sixers could offer a minimum contract and immediately add another natural center to the roster.
Philadelphia has enough stars. It has enough guards. It has enough players who need shots. What it doesn't have anymore is center insurance. Bradley isn't somebody you want playing 25 minutes every night, but as a third center who can give you 10 minutes without destroying the lineup, he makes plenty of sense.
If the Sixers want to make a move immediately and don't want to wait for roster cuts or negotiate a trade, Bismack Biyombo is probably the easiest answer.
Biyombo remains unsigned after spending last season with the Spurs, so Philadelphia could add him without giving up a player or a draft pick. At 34 years old, he obviously isn't the same athlete he was earlier in his career, and his role fell off heavily last season. He averaged only 0.9 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.2 assists across 25 games while playing 5.6 minutes per night.
Those numbers look terrible because his role basically disappeared, but Biyombo still has one thing the Sixers suddenly need: experience playing center in the NBA. He has appeared in 892 regular-season games, including 378 starts, with career averages of 5.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. He isn't going to space the floor or create offense, but nobody would be asking him to do that in Philadelphia.
The Sixers could use him almost exclusively as insurance: Bona remains the younger and more athletic option, so I wouldn't sign Biyombo and suddenly put him above Bona in the rotation. This is more about making sure Nurse doesn't enter a season with Embiid and one healthy natural backup center.
There will be nights where Embiid sits. In back-to-backs, his minutes could be limited, or Bona could get into foul trouble. The Sixers could also face teams with multiple physical big men where playing LeBron James, Dean Wade, or Jabari Walker at center isn't the best answer.
That's where Biyombo becomes a tool. There is almost no financial risk, no draft capital involved, and no long-term commitment. If Hukporti is out for the season and Philadelphia simply wants another veteran body before Opening Night, this is probably the fastest move available.
He wouldn't be my first choice because Jackson-Davis, Sims, and even Eubanks give the Sixers more at this point. But for an emergency signing that costs basically nothing, Biyombo absolutely belongs in the conversation.
