July 01, 2026
Vincent Carchietta/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Ariel Hukporti is joining the Sixers after a championship run with the Knicks.
The Sixers are signing 24-year-old center Ariel Hukporti to a one-year contract worth $3.4 million, according to a report from Shams Charania of ESPN.
Hukporti, an NBA champion with New York last season, played 79 games across two years with the Knicks, averaging 9.1 minutes, 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds. His minutes were limited given the presence of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. Hukporti's appearances throughout New York's run to a title were sporadic, but at times he was able to show impressive flashes due to a rare combination of size and mobility.
As the $3.4 million figure is above Hukporti's minimum, the likely explanation is that this signing will come out of the Sixers' non-taxpayer's mid-level exception, most of which they already used to sign Dean Wade. The Sixers project to have $2.6 million left over in that exception, which can be used in free agency or the trade market.
Hukporti is a seven-footer with real athletic tools, and as they potentially reimagine their center depth chart without veteran Andre Drummond, the Sixers could be set to have three youngsters – Hukporti, Adem Bona and Johni Broome – as their slew of backups for former NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
For the final few months of the 2025-26 season, a Hukporti jersey was hanging in the Sixers' locker room. After a midseason matchup between the Sixers and Knicks, Hukporti gave his jersey to his friend, Trendon Watford. Watford is likely to depart the Sixers, a source told PhillyVoice on Monday, but now there will be a new Hukporti jersey hanging in the locker room. This time, it will not be blue and orange.
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