10:32am: The Jazz have officially signed Pelle to a 10-day deal using the hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release.
8:35am: The Jazz intend to sign center Norvel Pelle to a 10-day contract using the hardship exception, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Pelle is expected to be available for Utah’s game vs. Toronto on Friday night.
Pelle recently finished up a 10-day deal with the Celtics, though he didn’t play at all for Boston during those 10 days. Previously, the big man played for a handful of international teams and bounced back and forth between the NBA and the G League over the last two seasons.
Pelle appeared in a total of 37 games from 2019-21 for the Sixers, Nets, Kings, and Knicks. A talented rim protector, The 28-year-old has averaged 2.2 blocks per game in 95 career G League contests and put up 8.9 PPG and 8.3 RPG in nine games (22.1 MPG) with the Cleveland Charge this season.
Utah enjoyed some great COVID-related luck for much of this season, having not placed a player in the health and safety protocols until earlier this week. Joe Ingles and Rudy Gobert are now both in the protocols for the Jazz, meaning the team is eligible to sign Pelle to a hardship deal, which won’t count against team salary for cap or tax purposes.
Pelle, who will earn $95,930 during his 10 days with the Jazz, has a chance to play a rotation role immediately, with Gobert out and backup center Hassan Whiteside listed as questionable as he goes through the concussion protocol.
This dude has probably been on every team in the league