The Philadelphia 76ers waive two young players before free agency.
New president of basketball operations Darryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers made some strong moves on draft day, but to think those would be the only moves they’d make would a mistake. That being said, while the team did already agree to a free agent deal with future Hall of Fame center Dwight Howard, they made two transactions prior to the beginning of free agency.
Norvel Pelle was the first player waived by the Sixers, according to Keith Pompey of Philly.com. His contract would have been fully guaranteed if he wasn’t waived before November 21, 2020. Per Pompey, Marial Shayok was soon waived from his two-way contract as well.
Both players’ respective careers with the 76ers come to a premature end. While both should be able to find interest in the league elsewhere, both could have been solid contributors to Philly this upcoming season.
Pelle’s and Shayok’s respective Sixers careers.
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To understand how they could have been important to the Sixers’ future, it’s important to what their career was like with Philly.
Pelle had two separate stints with the 76ers G-League affiliate, Delaware Blue Coats/87ers. He was signed to a two-way second season of this second stint. Despite being on a two-way contract he leap-frogged veteran Kyle O’Quinn on the depth chart and soon was signed to a regular contract.
With the Sixers, Pelle averaged 2.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks for 9.7 minutes per game. Pelle’s defense and his rim running ability will surely be sought out once he clears waivers and becomes a free agent.
Shayok was an upperclassman drafted in 2019 and signed to a two-way contract. Unlike Pelle, he played sparling for the Sixers and spent most of his time with the Delaware Blue Coats. With the Blue Coats, he averaged 22.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, while converting 35.8 percent of his 3-pointers. Being one of the better scorers in the G-League last season should get Shayok some looks in free agency.
Both the potential to be helpful contributors to the Philadelphia 76ers this season, but they should be able to find work elsewhere in the NBA.