It appears the Philadelphia 76ers came close to acquiring a veteran center at the NBA's Feb. 8 trade deadline in the wake of Joel Embiid's knee injury.

The Sixers "believed they had a trade done to acquire Bulls center Andre Drummond before Chicago pulled out of talks hours before the deadline," according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.

The Bulls were seeking three second-round picks for Drummond, and the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks made offers for the big man before going in other directions, Scotto added.

The 76ers had been in the market for a center at the deadline after Embiid underwent surgery on the lateral meniscus in his left knee earlier this month. The reigning MVP is expected to be sidelined for an extended period and it's unclear when he might return to the floor.

Philadelphia has primarily relied on Paul Reed as its starting center with Embiid sidelined, and Mo Bamba has seen increased playing time, but neither come close to making up for the veteran's absence.

Drummond also wouldn't come close to replicating Embiid's success, but he would have arguably been an upgrade from Reed given his elite rebounding skills and bruiser mentality in the paint.

The 30-year-old, who is in his second season with the Bulls, is averaging 8.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 55 games, primarily off the bench, while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor.

Drummond, who will become a free agent after this season, will now help the Bulls fight for a spot in the play-in tournament. The team sits ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 26-29 record.

The Sixers, meanwhile, are 3-5 in Embiid's absence and sit fifth in the East with a 32-22 record.

They'll be hoping their new additions in Buddy Hield, Cam Payne and Kyle Lowry can help keep them afloat until Embiid returns, though that might be a tough ask with the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers continuing to gain ground on the rest of the conference.