Fans were not really shaken much when the Philadelphia 76ers made the decision to part ways with Ricky Council IV. The incoming third-year guard, after all, was coming off an absolute downer of a season –– one in which he failed to follow through on an otherwise impressive rookie campaign where he showed a lot of glimpses despite limited court time.
Last season, Council saw his playing time increase thanks to the litany of injuries that embroiled the squad from night in and out. He averaged 17.1 minutes per outing, but his raw numbers were simply too measly. He registered just 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per contest, and his shooting splits might just be one of the worst ones in the league among players who carved out consistent roles.
The 24-year-old drained just 38.2 percent of his shots. Even more appaling is the fact that he only canned 25.8 percent of his attempts from beyond the three-point line, further cementing his status as a complete liability on offense during the previous campaign.
As a result, the 76ers quickly gave up on him despite the team needing reinforcements on defense, waiving him in late July.
Former 76ers guard Ricky Council faces brutal new setback on his career
A week after getting waived by Philly, the Nets swooped in and came to terms with Council on a one-year deal. At the time, it seemed like the perfect union, as Brooklyn would definitely give the young guard a larger margin of error in his play thanks to their youth movement and/or impending tank job next season.
Unfortunately for him, it seems like Brooklyn is backing out of their handshake deal. According to a recent report from Nets Daily, Council will no longer be joining the Nets in training camp, showing that his supposedly new team has decided not to push through with their erstwhile agreed contract.
With training camp set to begin in a few, this is undoubtedly a brutal setback for the former 76ers guard. Most teams already have full decks on their preseason rosters, which will make it highly difficult to crack another team's lineup. Heck, the Nets cutting him, of all teams, is most certainly not a good sign, either.
Hopefully, Ricky Council IV's representation can find a new taker for his services. After all, despite his down year with the 76ers last season, he is still a good, low-cost addition who could provide productive spurts on defense while still being young to correct himself offensively.