After starting off free agency with one of the smarter moves in the open market by signing Dean Wade to a bargain-bin, four-year contract, the Philadelphia 76ers followed it up with one of the most baffling acquisitions yet in the open market, signing incoming third-year big man Ariel Hukporti to a one-year, $3.4 million contract.
The 76ers entered the offseason in dire need of reinforcements at the center position to give Joel Embiid a hand, but their move to go with Hukporti is definitely a quite the decision on their part. While he is coming off a championship with the Knicks, he barely contributed to their cause on the hardwood. Put simply, he is way too unproven to be the backup big man of choice for this team.
Over the last couple of seasons playing for the Big Apple, the German big man averaged just 9.1 minutes per outing –– hardly the kind of exposure you would want from someone who will compete for the backup center position. Given his limited playing time, his production has also been pretty negligible.
The 76ers signing free agent big man Ariel Hukporti is simply a head-scratching decision
Given how critical the backup center position is for the 76ers in account of Embiid's injury history and their long track record of incompetent play when deploying any and all lineups not featuring the former MVP, the decision to go with Hukporti as one of their backup big men makes very little sense.
If anything, the 76ers would have been much, much better off going with a more proven big man. Heck, even bringing Andre Drummond back is a more sensible option than taking a flier on Hukporti who has never gotten a consistent role in his first two years as a pro.
Basically, the 76ers brought him in to audition for the backup center spot when in reality, the front office could have simply gone after someone who does not have to kill for a chance. The 76ers are veering toward an avoidable mistake here. Just when everyone thought that they will be going after a more veteran center when they opted against picking a big man in the draft, they pull this hogwash out of the blue.
Of course, it would be ideal if Hukporti ends up proving everyone wrong. But for now, there is no arguing that the 76ers, once again, went for the unknown in trying to fill a very crucial roster hole.
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