Jimmer Fredette rejoins Pelicans after quick stint in D-League

Former NBA lottery pick Jimmer Fredette has signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Fredette's contract is non-guaranteed, league sources told ESPN.com, as he was signed under the NBA's injury hardship exception.

Besieged by injuries, the Pelicans were granted the injury hardship exception to add a 16th player to the roster Tuesday morning, sources confirmed to ESPN.com.

Fredette, a former BYU star, has struggled to find a home in the NBA after being selected 10th in the 2011 draft by the Sacramento Kings.

He has spent time with four NBA teams, most recently with the San Antonio Spurs on a partially guaranteed contract. Fredette was waived on Oct. 21. He played 50 games last season for the Pelicans and averaged 3.6 points per game.

The Pelicans were granted the injury hardship exception because they meet the criteria of having at least four players on a roster miss at least three consecutive games with the expectation that they are out for an extended period. Kendrick Perkins, Tyreke Evans, Norris Cole and Omer Asik are among the injured Pelicans.

Per the hardship exception, Fredette can remain with the team until one of the injured players returns. At that point, New Orleans has to release Fredette or another player to satisfy the maximum roster requirement of 15 players. With Fredette, the Pelicans have 16 on the roster. Late last month, Fredette was selected by the New York Knicks' D-League team, the Westchester Knicks, with the No. 2 overall pick in the D-League draft. The club will retain Fredette's D-League rights while he is in the NBA.

If Fredette is released by New Orleans, he must return to Westchester. If Fredette wants to play with a European club following his release from New Orleans, the guard's D-League contract would need to be bought out.

Fredette, the 2011 national player of the year and NCAA scoring champ, has played in 229 games over the past four seasons, averaging 6.1 points in 13 minutes per game.

Fredette signing to a non-guaranteed contract was first reported by Yahoo!.