Ariel Hukporti leaves Knicks for 76ers in NBA free agency

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Not long before Mitchell Robinson agreed to sign with the Celtics on Wednesday morning, Ariel Hukporti accepted a one-year, $3.4 million deal with the 76ers, sources confirmed, which is roughly $1 million over the minimum.

Hukporti’s departure doesn’t move the needle much for the Knicks — he was sparsely used last season — but reiterates New York’s need for frontcourt additions.

As of Wednesday evening, Karl-Anthony Towns was the lone natural center or power forward on the Knicks roster.

After agreeing to re-sign Landry Shamet on the opening day of free agency, the Knicks were left with roughly $9 million to sign three players while staying under the second apron.

Hukporti, who shares an agent with Robinson, was a potential option to re-sign with the Knicks and fill minutes at backup center. New York, after all, had built equity into Hukporti’s development. The German was drafted 58th overall in 2024 and logged two seasons with the Knicks, averaging 2.1 points in 79 overall appearances. His strengths are rebounding and shot blocking, but he showed his inexperience at times last season while getting lost on defense.

His further development will be in Philadelphia, where Joel Embiid is still the starter but always leaves plenty of opportunities for backups because of injuries.

The Sixers also agreed Wednesday to trade for Boston superstar Jaylen Brown.