Ricky Council IV back on another two-way contract, Sixers waive Azuolas Tubelis

In what completes a circle of somewhat confusing moves by the Philadelphia 76ers within the last week, Ricky Council IV is back with the team on a two-way contract.

Maybe you’ve been out of the loop for the last week or so, concentrating on playoff baseball, perhaps, and you’re thinking to yourself, wasn’t Ricky Council IV already on a two-way contract with the Sixers? Well, he was, until the team waived him five days ago. The next day, Philadelphia converted Javonte Smart to a two-way contract, their three two-way spots then filled by Smart, Terquavion Smith and Azuolas Tubelis.

All of the above made the report that Council IV was coming back a bit of a head-scratcher. Surely, there must be a corresponding move, and there was indeed.

Council IV will be taking the two-way spot formerly filled by Tubelis. This swap makes sense based upon what we’ve seen since both players were signed as undrafted free agents post-draft. Council IV received much more floor time in Summer League and saw some minutes across three preseason appearances, whereas Tubelis did not appear in preseason action. Personally, I believe Council IV has much more in his skill set that could be projectable to an NBA role. We’ll keep waiting for that shot to come along.

Now, why Council IV was released only to be signed back five days later is a mystery that will probably remain in-house. Maybe his camp wanted an opportunity to explore opportunities elsewhere and the team assisted. Regardless, it looks like Ricky Council IV will be a Sixer this time tomorrow when Philadelphia begins its regular season.

Here is the full announcement from 76ers Public Relations:

“Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed Ricky Council IV to a two-way contract.

Council IV, 22, saw 25 minutes of preseason action across three games for Philadelphia, tallying 10 points, five rebounds, and two steals. He scored four points on 2-of-2 shooting vs. Boston on Oct. 11.

The Durham, North Carolina native competed in eight total summer league games with Philadelphia in both the Salt Lake City Summer League and the 2K24 NBA Summer League 2023 in Las Vegas, averaging a combined 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds.

During the 2022-23 collegiate season with Arkansas, Council IV ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference with a team-high 16.1 points to go along with 3.6 rebounds. The All-SEC Second Team selection scored in double figures in 31 of his appearances, while reaching the 20-point mark on 11 different occasions.

In a related move, the 76ers have waived Ąžuolas Tubelis.

Heading into the 2023-24 season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, the 76ers roster stands at 18 players, including three two-way contracts.”