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2024 Free Agents - Ricky Council IV

Summary
Council went undrafted in 2023, but signed with the 76ers on a two-way contract, which was later converted to a standard contract. He didn't get that many NBA minutes as a rookie, playing in 222 of non-garbage time across 26 games, according to Cleaning the Glass, but I thought he showed some real potential in his minutes.

Council came into the league with an NBA body, at 6'5" with a 6'9" wingspan and a solid frame. He is a really explosive athlete, and uses his strength and athleticism to get to the rim, absorb contact, and finish. He attacks relentless, but he can sometimes be out of control, leading to turnovers or some tough shots. He only hit 59% at the rim as a rookie, which is below-average. He also isn't an outside shooter yet.

On defense, Council has the potential to be a good multi-positional defender, but his overall defensive awareness could use improvement. He was disruptive in college, but posted low block and steal rates during his rookie year in the NBA. 

Council is slightly older, as he will be 23 years old in the summer of 2024. However, if the 76ers waive him in order to maximize their cap space, I think he would be worth a flyer for a team to claim him off waivers.
 
Cap Considerations
Council's $1.9 million salary for 2024-2025 is non-guaranteed, and if he is waived he will become an unrestricted free agent and the 76ers will have no form of Bird rights on him. If he is waived, teams could claim him off waivers, but would need to fit his salary within cap space or an exception to do so, as his contract was for more than two years.

If Council becomes a free agent, other teams will have multiple ways to sign him as even teams without cap space could use any of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Room MLE, Taxpayer MLE, or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. If Council is waived and clears waivers, his value will likely have dropped low enough that he would only have offers for the minimum, and he may not even get fully-guaranteed offers.

Potential Teams: 76ers, Hornets, Wizards, Trailblazers, Kings

Predicted Contract: Not waived: $1.9 million
If waived: 1-year, $1.9 million with the Hornets

Last updated: 6/12/2024

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