Ariel Hukporti's Torn Right Achilles Ends His 2026-27 Season After One Exhibition

Photo: NBA.com. Official Ariel Hukporti headshot, Philadelphia 76ers.

Ariel Hukporti pushed off his right leg to contest a Karl-Anthony Towns three with 7:06 left in the first quarter of Monday's preseason opener, went down in front of the Knicks bench and grabbed the back of his lower leg. The 76ers announced Tuesday that an MRI confirmed a torn right Achilles tendon, that he would have surgery later in the day, and that the 24-year-old center will miss the entire 2026-27 season.

It was a noncontact play. Hukporti started against the team he won a ring with last season, and Towns, his former teammate, was one of the people who helped him off the floor with no weight on the right leg. He left the building in a walking boot and on crutches. Philadelphia won 120-97. Jalen Brunson said afterward that he went to check on Hukporti as soon as he got back to the locker room.

This is his second Achilles rupture. Hukporti tore the left one in 2022 while playing for Melbourne United in Australia's NBL, came back, got drafted 58th overall by New York in 2024 and logged 715 minutes over two seasons with the Knicks, averaging 2.1 points and 2.7 rebounds. Those numbers are small. The Sixers still paid him $3.4 million on a one-year deal in July to steady the backup center spot behind Joel Embiid, where a 7-footer only has to screen, rebound and protect the rim in short stretches.

Now look at who is left to do it. Adem Bona has not practiced in camp because of a left foot sprain from the offseason. Tacko Fall, in camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, has a left hip sprain and was due for a re-evaluation in about two weeks. Embiid has missed 150 regular-season games over the last three seasons, about 61% of the schedule, and he sat Monday along with Tyrese Maxey and LeBron James. A healthy backup five was the one thing Philadelphia could plan around in the frontcourt, and that plan lasted under five minutes.

Monday's game showed the most likely fix for now. Jabari Walker took Hukporti's minutes as a stretch big and finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 19 minutes, hitting 3 of 5 from deep. Dean Wade and Dominick Barlow give Nick Nurse two more 6-foot-9 options for small lineups. Those groups give Nurse stretch looks and small-lineup options when Embiid sits.

The cap sheet makes this harder than finding another body. Philadelphia used its full mid-level exception this summer, so it is hard-capped at the first apron and sits about $1.8 million below that line. The roster has 14 players and an open spot, but a veteran-minimum signing would still push the Sixers over the apron, and even a disabled player exception from the league would not change that. Walker's contract is guaranteed for only $250,000, so waiving him would open room, but he just played like the best answer on the roster. A small trade that sends out salary would probably cost second-round capital. The cheapest move is the final two-way slot next to Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert, either for Fall once his hip clears or for a big off the waiver wire.

Hukporti's own contract matters here too. A $3.4 million expiring deal on an injured player is a salary-matching piece above the minimum, so it carries more weight in a trade than a minimum deal would. Nothing has been reported on that front. For a team pinned under the apron, that salary gives the front office something to work with that does not cost a rotation player.

The regular season opens Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. Bona's foot is the next update that matters. If he is ready for that opener, Philadelphia has one true backup center. If he is not, Walker and Barlow are playing the five against Towns on opening night.

Sources

• ESPN, Shams Charania on X: Hukporti season-ending ruptured right Achilles. Oct. 6, 2026. Season-ending ruptured right Achilles; surgery later today, per sources.
• 76ers news release, via Chris Hine on X and Jeff Skversky on X. Oct. 6, 2026. MRI confirmed a torn right Achilles tendon; surgery later today.
• ClutchPoints, Brett Siegel: Ariel Hukporti will miss 2026-27 season with torn Achilles. Oct. 6, 2026. Pushed off right leg contesting a Towns three; walking boot and crutches; one-year $3.4M; second Achilles injury after 2022 left Achilles rupture with Melbourne United; Embiid 150 games missed over three seasons, about 61%; $1.8M below first apron; 14 players; DPE would not help; Walker $250K guaranteed; trade likely costs second-round capital; Brunson checked on him in the locker room; Fall two-way option alongside Love and Rupert; opener Oct. 20 at MSG.
• Brett Siegel on X. Oct. 6, 2026. 76ers used their full MLE and are hard-capped at the first apron.
• ESPN, Dave McMenamin: 76ers backup center Ariel Hukporti exits preseason opener early. Oct. 5, 2026. 7:06 left in the first, noncontact; 120-97 win; 2.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in two seasons with New York; No. 58 pick in 2024; Walker 11 points, 11 rebounds, 3-for-5 from three in 19 minutes; Embiid, James and Maxey rested; Bona left foot sprain; Fall left hip sprain, re-evaluation in about two weeks; Walker, Wade and Barlow as stretch-big options; $1.8M below first apron per Bobby Marks.
• PhillyVoice, Adam Aaronson: Sixers center Ariel Hukporti injury. Oct. 5-6, 2026. 715 minutes in two seasons with the Knicks; Towns helped him to the back.
• PhillyVoice, Adam Aaronson: After one exhibition, Sixers could lose Ariel Hukporti. Oct. 6, 2026. Expiring $3.4M salary, above the minimum, could help facilitate a midseason trade.
• Photo: NBA.com. Official Ariel Hukporti headshot, Philadelphia 76ers.