The Phoenix Suns have signed forward/centre Jonah Bolden to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Bolden, a second-year player from UCLA, was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 36th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. He played 44 games for the 76ers in his rookie campaign and started 10.
The 76ers parted ways with Bolden to make room on the roster for Norvel Pelle, who's two-way contract was converted to a standard NBA contract.
Bolden will team up with fellow Aussie big man Aron Baynes in Phoenix, under head coach Monty Williams, who served as the 76ers lead assistant last season.
Teams can sign a player to a maximum of two 10-day contracts in a season, before either having to sign them to a contract or parting ways.
After appearing in 44 matchs in his rookie campaign in 2018/19, Bolden found minutes hard to come by this season, playing in just four games as he split time between the 76ers and their G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Last campaign, Bolden averaged 4.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game in 14.5 minutes while shooting 49 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from the three-point line on 2.2 attempts per game.
A versatile, athletic big man, who can shoot from the perimeter, Bolden will have an opportunity to impress right away for the Suns, who are currently managing a host of injuries to their frontcourt.
Deandre Ayton (ankle) missed yesterday´s game versus the Golden State Warriors, while Aron Baynes (hip), Dario Saric (ankle) and Frank Kaminsky (knee) are also sidelined with injuries.
Kaminsky has been out since Dec. 28, while Baynes has not played since Jan. 18.
The injuries had reduced the big man depth to undersized center Cheick Diallo and power forward Tariq Owens, who is on a two-way contract.
