Magic Acquire Ricky Council IV in Minor Deal, What Does It Mean as the Magic Prepare For Training Camp

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Philadelphia 76ers guard Ricky Council IV (14) drives to shoot against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. | Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Daniel Benjamin, Editor

The Orlando Magic completed their third minor league deal of the offseason earlier this evening.

Magic Acquire Ricky Council IV in Minor Deal

The Osceola Magic, Orlando’s G-League affiliate, announced that they have acquired Ricky Council IV from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for the rights to Phillip Wheeler and a 2027 First-Round pick.

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Council has two years of NBA experience, but he spent this past season in the G-League. Council signed a contract with the Houston Rockets before the season began and was almost immediately waived. He was ultimately assigned to the Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Council only appeared in eight games for the Vipers last year, averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals, with shooting splits of 40.5/36.5/66.7. The 25-year-old scored in double figures on four occassions. He spent the summer with the Magic, though he just appeared in one game in Las Vegas, totaling 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 20 minutes.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Ricky Council IV (14) dunks the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Photo Credit: Bill Streicher, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Wheeler has spent almost his entire professional career in the G-League, playing for Osceola last year. Wheeler averaged 14.3 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 52.1% from the field and 77.8% from the free-throw line this past season. The 6-8 forward also drained 1.4 threes at a 41.0% clip and scored in double figures 32 times, including 10 games of at least 20 points.

Osceola is coming off one of its best seasons in franchise history. Osceola won the G-League Eastern Conference regular season for the third straight season this past year. Their 26 regular season wins rank fifth on the franchise ledger. They also reached the conference finals, where they fell to the Greensboro Swarm.

This trade is the Magic’s third minor league trade of the offseason. Osceola also acquired Malaki Branham from the Cleveland Charge and Au’Diese Toney from the Noblestown Boom.

Speaking of Osceola, Orlando is going to hire Ronnie Burrell as head coach of its G League franchise, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Burrell, who played professional basketball for a decade mostly overseas, was an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers the past two seasons.

Burrell also served one season as an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets after being with the Long Island Nets from 2019-2023, serving as head coach during the 2022-23 campaign when he was named the G-League Coach of the Year. He replaces Dylan Murphy, who joined Michigan’s basketball staff this offseason after three seasons with Osceola.

 The Last Word on the Magic’s Acquisition of  Ricky Council IV

While Orlando’s acquisition of Council IV is likely to fill out Osceola’s roster to start the 2026-27 season, he may get an Exhibit 10 contract from the Magic and participate in training camp.  Council is a very talented two-way prospect who is an explosive downhill scorer with NBA‑level athletic pop. However, his shooting has been inconsistent.

Council, who went undrafted out of Arkansas in 2023, appeared in 107 games with the Philadelphia 76ers from 2023-25. In 105 career games for the 76ers, Council averaged 6.7 points and 2.5 rebounds with shooting splits of 40.2/27.3/78.6. He has scored in double figures 37 times and produced four double-doubles.

If Council does receive a training camp deal, he could compete for a two-way spot as he is eligible since he is entering year four. The Magic currently have 14 players on standard contracts and are just $2.5 million below the second apron. So, it is likely they will enter the season with the 15th spot open.

The Magic also have all three of their two-way spots filled with Colin Castleton, Alex Morales, and Izaiyah Nelson. However, none of those three players are as talented or as good a prospect as Council.

Orlando currently has two open training camp spots with JD Davison and  Branham signed Exhibit 10 deals.

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Photo Credit: Kyle Ross, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

 

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