The Philadelphia 76ers are short one giant big man at the moment with Joel Embiid out with a finger injury, but surprisingly, they won’t convert the contract of a two-way player who has been helpful.
Rookie big man Norvel Pelle’s NBA days on his two-way contract dried up on Wednesday and the Sixers have decided to not convert his deal and they will move on. He averaged 2.7 points with 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 11 games with the Sixers. He provided some solid rim protection and he was a terrific rim roller, but the Sixers have decided to focus more on flexibility ahead of the February 6 trade deadline.
FWIW, was told by multiple agents this week that Sixers asked around about G League prospects willing to sign two-year, two-way deals if they converted Pelle today
Wonder what came first: choice to not convert Pelle, or not getting any interesting takers on the two-year, two-way https://t.co/ZVVgqOqiDb
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) January 15, 2020
The trade deadline has been one of the more talked about dates surrounding the Sixers as it has become clear that they really need a shooter with the playoffs right approaching quickly. The Sixers have needed to add some type of perimeter game to help space the floor for Ben Simmons and Embiid to operate and not converting Pelle’s deal allows them a little flexibility with the deadline coming up. [lawrence-related id=23539,23527,23514]