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After seemingly settling on a 15-man roster coming out of Summer League, the Philadelphia 76ers have shaken things up once more, waiving third-year wing Ricky Council IV , according to an official statement from the team .
Now, on paper, this decision isn't too surprising. The 76ers have been locked in restricted free agent discussions with Quentin Grimes for weeks now, and have basically put all other team-building avenues on hold, minus minimum contract deals, as they work through the contract negotiation weeds.
And yet, saying goodbye to Council IV is a bit of a bummer all the same, as he once looked like a seriously promising player who could be a bench glue guy on a good team.
Initially landing with the team as a two-way player out of Arkansas, Council IV flashed in garbage time and as a member of the Delaware Blue Coats, showcasing athleticism off the bench for a team that was largely lacking in that department. Though his stats in 2024-25 were largely junk, playing big minutes in April and May for a 76ers team firmly out of the playoffs, he still scored in double digits 13 times during the final two months of the season, including an impressive 20-point performance in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs .
Sure, Council IV was a downright bad 3-point shooter, falling 10 points below the league average with a putrid 25.8 completion percentage , and his defense was more bad than good, but in the NBA, 6-foot-6 players wings with positional versatility are always in demand, especially 23-year-olds with room to grow.
If RC4 stuck around for the 2025-26 season, he likely would have been relegated to the bench, as the 76ers added a number of quality wing players like VJ Edgecombe , Johni Broome , Trendon Watford , and even Jabari Walker , who would likely play over him. Factor in Grimes' eventual return as a big-minute wing, and there just wasn't a spot for Council IV moving forward, even if another NBA team might be willing to give him a shot moving forward.
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