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2025 Free Agents - Ricky Council IV

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 24 years old in the summer of 2025. However, if the 76ers waive him, I think he would be worth a flyer for a team to claim him off waivers.

Summary

Council's $2.2 million salary for 2025-2026 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 doesn't fit within the minimum salary exception as it was a four-year contract. 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, Taxpayer MLE, Room MLE, or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. If he is waived and clears waivers, it's likely he will only have minimum offers, and may not even get fully-guaranteed offers.

Cap Considerations

Josh Minott (3rd year minimum non-guaranteed salary not waived, 2024) Johnny Juzang (4-3 years, $12 million, 2024) Brandon Boston, Jr. (1 year minimum, non-guaranteed, 2024)

Player/Contract Comparison

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

Predicted Contract: Not waived: $2.2 million
If waived: 1-year, $2.3 million (non-guaranteed) with the Hornets

Last updated: 9/28/2024

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