Norvel Pelle may be nearing the end of the road with the Philadelphia 76ers as the rookie has five days of eligibility left in the NBA, per terms of his two-way contract.
As Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer detailed, the Sixers will look to either sign Pelle to a standard NBA contract or release him after his 45 days are up.
Given his solid play with the Sixers, several teams around the NBA are apparently monitoring the situation and could look to sign him should the team release him.
Based on his remaining eligibility, that could decision happen in the next week.
… release him after his 45 days. Look for the Sixers to stretch those days out by only calling him up on game days. But once that’s over, a couple of teams will look to sign the big man if the Sixers don’t convert his contract, I’m told. https://t.co/ggyuNiYzmq
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 11, 2020
The Sixers may opt to keep Pelle out of necessity following the injury to Joel Embiid, who is expected to be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks after undergoing finger surgery on Friday. Pelle served as the backup center on Thursday against the Boston Celtics with Embiid out.
Pelle has emerged as a strong shot blocker with the Sixers and has become a fan favorite given his Dikembe Mutombo-like finger-wag after each block. He has excelled in running the pick-and-roll and is a great rim-runner for the Sixers.
Regardless of where his future may be, Pelle has taken advantage of his opportunity in Philadelphia and may soon find himself with a standard NBA contract one way or another.
The Sixers play next on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks.
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