Hukporti set for MRI on right Achilles after leaving 76ers preseason opener
The short version
- Ariel Hukporti suffered an apparent calf injury involving the right Achilles in the 76ers' preseason opener against the Knicks and needed help off the court.
- An MRI and assessment were scheduled for the following morning; coach Nick Nurse confirmed the right Achilles would be examined.
- Best case is a calf strain — about three weeks for Grade 1, four to eight weeks for Grade 2; worst case is a season-ending Achilles rupture.
- Recent Achilles ruptures to Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton produced recovery timelines of roughly 10 to 18 months.
- The 76ers are $1.8 million below the first-apron hard cap, meaning a prorated minimum signing may not fit until December.
Ariel Hukporti needed help off the court in Philadelphia's preseason opener; an MRI will determine whether he misses weeks or the season — and the 76ers' roster options.
Ariel Hukporti left the Philadelphia 76ers' preseason opener against the New York Knicks with what appeared to be a serious injury. Facing his former team, Hukporti went down with an apparent calf problem and had to be helped off the court. Karl-Anthony Towns was among the players and staff members who assisted him.
Some outlets initially reported a ruptured Achilles, but that claim was quickly debunked. An official prognosis was expected the next day. Head coach Nick Nurse said after the game that the concern centers on Hukporti's right Achilles. "They're going to do the imaging tomorrow. Right Achilles – they are going to look at it," Nurse said.
The team scheduled an MRI and a further assessment for the following morning, with the extent of the damage expected to become clear afterward. Two outcomes are in play. The best case is a Grade 1 or Grade 2 calf strain, graded by the share of tendon tissue damaged: less than 10% for Grade 1, and 10% to 50% for Grade 2.
The timetables differ sharply. A Grade 1 strain could allow Hukporti to return within three weeks, though that outcome appeared unlikely given how much pain he was in as he left the floor. A Grade 2 strain would mean an expected recovery of four to eight weeks.
The other possibility is a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon, which would rule Hukporti out for the remainder of the season. There is no fixed return date for that injury, but recent NBA cases offer a range. Damian Lillard ruptured his Achilles in April 2025 and is set to return in October 2026, an 18-month timeline. Tyrese Haliburton, injured in June 2025, is also due back in October 2026, a 16-month span. Jayson Tatum went down in May 2025 and returned in March 2026, a faster-than-standard 10-month recovery. An estimate for Hukporti, if the worst is confirmed, would fall somewhere between 10 and 18 months.
A season-ending diagnosis would carry financial consequences for Philadelphia as well. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, a Disabled Player Exception permits a team to sign a replacement for an injured player at whichever is lower: 50% of his salary or the Full Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception.
The 76ers' flexibility is limited. They already used their mid-level exception to sign Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade in the offseason, which triggered a hard cap at the first apron of the salary cap. Philadelphia currently sits $1.8 million below that line.
That leaves few avenues to add a player. Without waiving Hukporti or someone else from the roster, the club's option would be a veteran minimum contract, and even that deal would not fit under the hard cap at current figures. Because minimum salaries are prorated and shrink as the season progresses, such a signing would likely have to wait until December.
Until the imaging results arrive, everything from a three-week absence to a season-ending injury remains on the table. So does the question of how Philadelphia can respond within the constraints of its hard cap.
Games to watch
