Inside The Celtics

Celtics Add Two More Players Via Hardship Exemption

The Boston Celtics replenished their front-court depth by signing a pair of big men to help address having eight players in health and safety protocols.

Bobby Krivitsky

Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Boston Celtics are signing forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Norvel Pelle to 10-day contracts via hardship exemption.

Aminu is an 11-year NBA veteran who started last season with the Orlando Magic, but the Chicago Bulls acquired him in the deal that brought Nikola Vucevic to the Windy City. Aminu's best traits are on the defensive end of the floor, where he can defend the four, and depending on the matchup, can bump up to play the pivot. The former eighth overall pick in the 2010 draft has career averages of 7.5 points and six rebounds per game.

Pelle has two years of NBA experience totaling 37 games, primarily with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019-20 campaign. The athletic, six-foot-ten center averages 2.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game for his career.

These two additions help address the fact the Celtics have eight players in health and safety protocols; Enes Freedom became the latest member of the team to get placed there, a development that happened on Thursday, less than 24 hours after Boston beat the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics likely signed Aminu and Pelle to prepare for the possibility Al Horford and or Grant Williams don't exit health and safety protocols in time to play in the team's Christmas matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. The two got placed there on Friday, Dec. 17th.

The eight Celtics players in health and safety protocols are Horford, Williams, Freedom, Josh Richardson, Jabari Parker, Juancho Hernangomez, and two-way players Sam Hauser and Brodric Thomas. They've signed Aminu, Pelle, Joe Johnson, C.J. Miles, and Justin Jackson to 10-day contracts to replenish their roster.

Saturday's matchup between the Celtics and Bucks tips off at 2:30 EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

What Stood Out in Sixers Win Over Celtics: The Former Steps Up While Latter Wilts Down the Stretch

Should the Celtics Trade for Buddy Hield?

Los Angeles Lakers Sign Isaiah Thomas

Jayson Tatum Makes a Major Announcement

Boston Celtics Sign C.J. Miles Via Hardship Exemption

The Latest On Dennis Schroder's Future with the Celtics

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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