Backup Center Ariel Hookporti descended from a the end of the season Achilles’ tear only moments in Sixerspreseason debut against the Knicks.
Before the injury, Philadelphia already faced uncertainty about its big man depth, but the loss of Hookporty means Adem Bono, Dominic Barlowand Jabari Walker currently the only depth behind the often injured Joel Embiid.
Despitea lack of options, the Sixers are unlikely to add another big man or any other player in a standard NBA deal before the prorated minimum salary options open in early December, according to Marc Stein in his latest edition of The Stein Line (subscriber link).
From a financial perspective, the only way to get anyone to do that is to make a trade that reduces the team’s salary cap by about $600K.
We’ve got more notes from Stein about the NBA:
- Anthony Black and magic an extension is unlikely to be agreed as the two sides have not held any meaningful talks to this point due to the team’s concerns about how expensive the main four are Paolo Bunchera, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggsand Desmond Bane already has, reports Stein. Black is coming off a much better year in which he went from 9.4 points to 15.0 points per game as a third-year guard, but there are questions about whether the Magic can afford to keep both him and Suggs.
- Brandon Miller is still viewed by league personnel as an extension possibility with Hornets, and some believe it will be a richer deal than the five-year, $208 million deal expansion by signature Amin Thompson earlier in the summer. Such a deal would be a gamble on Miller’s offensive ceiling, which is higher than Thompson’s, even if his defense and health remain open.
- After exchanging Lugentz Dort, the Thunder seems ready to invest in Cason Wallaceand Stein reports that discussions have begun between the two sides about a $25 million-a-year extension. Dyson Daniels and Christian Brown‘s deals have been cited as inspiration, though Wallace may be looking for something closer to a five-year, $158 million deal signed by Keyonte George.
- Dwight Powell continues to try to cement the place with Mavericks this season, including waiving his right to block a deal if he ends up making the regular-season lineup, according to Stein. Powell’s contract situation would normally give him a de facto no-trade clause, but his decision could allow the Mavs to trade him after Dec. 25. His status looked uncertain, especially after the team cleared Moussa Cisseit’s a matter of becoming guaranteedbut Powell proved to be one of the team’s most reliable big men in the preseason and earned praise from the head coach Dusty May.