diff --git a/helix-core/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/controller/rebalancer/util/DelayedRebalanceUtil.java b/helix-core/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/controller/rebalancer/util/DelayedRebalanceUtil.java
index f42176a0a4..c9965f69c9 100644
--- a/helix-core/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/controller/rebalancer/util/DelayedRebalanceUtil.java
+++ b/helix-core/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/controller/rebalancer/util/DelayedRebalanceUtil.java
@@ -132,9 +132,10 @@ private static Set<String> getActiveNodes(Set<String> allNodes, Set<String> live
 
   public static Set<String> filterOutEvacuatingInstances(Map<String, InstanceConfig> instanceConfigMap,
       Set<String> nodes) {
-    return  nodes.stream()
-        .filter(instance -> !instanceConfigMap.get(instance).getInstanceOperation().equals(
-            InstanceConstants.InstanceOperation.EVACUATE.name()))
+    return nodes.stream()
+        .filter(instance -> (instanceConfigMap.get(instance) != null && !instanceConfigMap.get(instance)
+            .getInstanceOperation()
+            .equals(InstanceConstants.InstanceOperation.EVACUATE.name())))
         .collect(Collectors.toSet());
   }
 
diff --git a/helix-core/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/manager/zk/ZKHelixAdmin.java b/helix-core/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/manager/zk/ZKHelixAdmin.java
index 44afee5e1b..ebbcf64d02 100644
--- a/helix-core/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/manager/zk/ZKHelixAdmin.java
+++ b/helix-core/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/manager/zk/ZKHelixAdmin.java
@@ -410,15 +410,21 @@ public ZNRecord update(ZNRecord currentData) {
 
   @Override
   public boolean isEvacuateFinished(String clusterName, String instanceName) {
-    return !instanceHasCurrentSateOrMessage(clusterName, instanceName) && (getInstanceConfig(clusterName,
-        instanceName).getInstanceOperation().equals(InstanceConstants.InstanceOperation.EVACUATE.name()));
+    if (!instanceHasCurrentSateOrMessage(clusterName, instanceName)) {
+      InstanceConfig config = getInstanceConfig(clusterName, instanceName);
+      return config != null && config.getInstanceOperation().equals(InstanceConstants.InstanceOperation.EVACUATE.name());
+    }
+    return false;
   }
 
   @Override
   public boolean isReadyForPreparingJoiningCluster(String clusterName, String instanceName) {
-    return !instanceHasCurrentSateOrMessage(clusterName, instanceName)
-        && DelayedAutoRebalancer.INSTANCE_OPERATION_TO_EXCLUDE_FROM_ASSIGNMENT.contains(
-        getInstanceConfig(clusterName, instanceName).getInstanceOperation());
+    if (!instanceHasCurrentSateOrMessage(clusterName, instanceName)) {
+      InstanceConfig config = getInstanceConfig(clusterName, instanceName);
+      return config != null && DelayedAutoRebalancer.INSTANCE_OPERATION_TO_EXCLUDE_FROM_ASSIGNMENT.contains(
+          config.getInstanceOperation());
+    }
+    return false;
   }
 
   /**