RealGM Basketball Wiretap

02 August 2025

• Ricky Council IV Waived By Sixers

  The Philadelphia 76ers have waived Ricky Council IV. The Sixers converted Council from a Two-Way to a multi-year contract in April 2024.

  Council appeared in seven Summer League games, averaging 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 27.8 minutes.

  Last season, Council appeared in 73 games with the Sixers and averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.1 minutes.

  Council went undrafted in 2023 out of Arkansas.

• Lonnie Walker IV, Maccabi Agree To Contract

  Lonnie Walker IV has agreed to sign with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Walker has an NBA buyout clause in his contract until August 1st and will be one of the highest-paid players in Europe.

  Walker was with the Boston Celtics for preseason in 2024-25 before signing with Zalgiris. Walker then joined the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $3 million deal in February.

  Walker averaged 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 23.8 minutes across 20 games for the Sixers.

  Walker, who is represented by George Langberg, was the 18th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft out of Miami by the San Antonio Spurs.

• Joel Embiid Takes Control of Rehabilitation Timeline Following Second Knee Operation In 14 Months

  Joel Embiid has embraced a more cautious approach to his knee rehabilitation following his second surgery in 14 months. Embiid is prioritizing long-term health over rushing back to the court for the upcoming season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

  Embiid underwent his latest knee procedure in April after months of uncertainty and recurring swelling issues. Embiid told ESPN's Dotun Akintoye in late June that he would not push his recovery timeline, marking a significant departure from previous injury management approaches.

  "We're not going to push anything," Embiid said. "For my whole career, I felt like we never took that approach."

  The 76ers' organization had previously expressed optimism about Embiid's availability for training camp in September. However, the 30-year-old center declined to commit to any specific return date during recent interviews.

  "We don't have a timeline," Embiid stated. "Hopefully, sooner rather than later."

  Embiid emphasized the business realities surrounding his recovery process. He acknowledged that returning too early without being fully healthy would ultimately hurt the team's championship aspirations.

  "If I come back early enough and I'm still not myself, guess what? You're not winning any games," he explained.

  The injury struggles have taken a significant psychological toll on Embiid, who began working with a therapist on the recommendation of assistant GM Jameer Nelson. The decision came after Embiid initially resisted the idea of mental health treatment.

  "I was, like, 'There is no chance. I don't believe in none of that,'" Embiid recalled about his initial reaction to therapy.

  Despite his initial skepticism, Embiid has maintained his commitment to the therapeutic process. He credits the sessions with helping him understand the pressures that may have contributed to his current situation.

  "To this day, I'm 100 percent committed to it," Embiid said. "But I will not sit here and say that my belief is ever going to be 100 percent in therapy."

  The 2023 MVP winner admitted that external pressures to play through injuries may have worsened his condition. His decision to publicly announce his need for surgery to ESPN surprised the organization and highlighted communication issues between player and management.

  "Feeding into the pressure of you got to play, got to go out there, can't let people down and this and that," Embiid said. "That's probably one of the reasons why I'm in this position now."

  Embiid described his public statement as "a cry for help" after feeling unheard by the organization. The incident underscored ongoing tensions between the star player and the front office regarding injury management protocols.

  Looking ahead, Embiid remains confident about his future despite the setbacks. He expressed faith in his recovery process and long-term basketball prospects while acknowledging the challenges ahead.

• Paul George Undergoes Surgery On Left Knee To Treat Injury From Recent Workout

  Paul George underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure on his left knee to treat an injury sustained during a recent workout. The procedure was performed by Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow at the NYU - Langone Sports Medicine Orthopedic Center.

  George will now begin a rehabilitation program and his progress will be monitored regularly. George will be re-evaluated prior to the start of training camp.

  In 41 games last season, George averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 32.5 minutes.

  George has three seasons remaining on his four-year, $212 million contract signed with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2024 offseason.

• Daryl Morey Says East Is 'Open' Next Season, Sixers 'Can Be Right There'

  Daryl Morey was optimistic about the outlook of the Philadelphia 76ers next season, saying that the Eastern Conference was "open."

  "I do think it's open in the East," said Morey. "I do think that's a fair characterization. I do, obviously, think that we weren't the only team that's unfortunately gone through a lot of tough injuries.

  "That's opened some things up. But we're going to have to prove that we're with those upper-echelon teams in the East. But we do feel like if all things come together, we can be right there, and we've given ourselves a lot of flexibility to upgrade the team during the year, if things are going as well as we hope."

  Morey then discussed his reasoning for bringing back either Guerschon Yabusele or Quentin Grimes this offseason. Yabusele would go on to sign a two-year, $12 million deal with the Knicks.

  "Yeah, that sucked," Morey said. "We offered Guerschon the most that we could that wouldn't limit us and our ability to retain Quentin. That was above the minimum. I've seen reports saying that we only offered the minimum, and that wasn't true. But it was definitely below what he ended up getting. We knew it would create a challenge for us. So we wanted to retain Quentin."

  Grimes and the Sixers are still reportedly far from agreeing to a new contract, with Grimes looking for $25 million per season. Grimes averaged 21.9 points in 28 games with the Sixers.

  Morey added that he was looking to sign more athleticism around Joel Embiid.

  "I think we're optimistic where things are at with Joel, and we are looking forward to next season," Morey said. "I think we went in with the big goal of being more athletic among the group that we think will likely be on the floor."

  Embiid has yet to return to on-court basketball activities, though the team remains optimistic that he will be ready by the regular season opener.

• Joel Embiid Has Not Returned To On-Court Activities, Sixers 'Optimistic' Embiid Will Play In Season Opener

  Joel Embiid has yet to return to any on-court basketball activities, sources told Tony Jones of The Athletic.

  Embiid remains "on track" to be healthy by training camp, with Daryl Morey and the Sixers optimistic that Embiid will play in the regular season opener.

  "I think we're optimistic where things are at with Joel, and we are looking forward to next season," said Morey on Friday.

  Embiid played 19 games last season and was ruled out for the year in late February.

  Embiid underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April. It was the second surgery on his left knee in over a year.

• Igor Milicic Jr, Sixers Sign Exhibit 10 Deal

  The Philadelphia 76ers have signed Igor Milicic Jr. to a non-guaranteed training camp deal. Milicic will go to camp with a chance to make the Sixers roster, but will likely land in the G League.

  As a senior at Tennessee, Milicic averaged 9.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-10 big man holds dual citizenship in Croatia and Poland. Milicic plays for Poland on the national team level.

• VJ Edgecombe Out Thursday With Sprained Thumb, Will Be Re-Evaluated On Saturday

  VJ Edgecombe will miss the Philadelphia 76ers' Summer League game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday with a sprained thumb.

  Edgecombe continues to participate in on-court workouts despite the injury.

  He will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

  Edgecombe had 28 points and ten rebounds in his Salt Lake Summer League debut before missing the next two games with the injury.

• Sixers Sign Dominick Barlow To Two-Way, Waive Alex Reese

  The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to sign Dominick Barlow to a Two-Way contract. The Sixers are waiving Alex Reese from his Two-Way to create the spot for Barlow, reports Michael Scotto.

  Barlow appeared in 35 games with the Atlanta Hawks last season, averaging 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game.

  Barlow went undrafted in 2022 out of Overtime Elite.

• Sixers Confident In Retaining Quentin Grimes Despite Stalled Talks

  The Philadelphia 76ers remain confident they will retain shooting guard Quentin Grimes despite his restricted free agency yielding minimal movement. Philadelphia has ruled out potential sign-and-trade scenarios at this time.

  The restricted free agency market has virtually disappeared due to limited cap space across the league. This situation puts the Sixers in a position where they are essentially bidding against themselves for Grimes' services.

  Grimes has proven to be a dynamic two-way shooting guard capable of playing both ends of the floor. His offensive game has improved significantly since entering the league with the New York Knicks in 2021, particularly his ability to create off the dribble.

  The 6-foot-5 guard represents the only player on the roster besides Tyrese Maxey who can generate significant rim pressure off the dribble. His versatility to play small forward opens up different lineup combinations featuring VJ Edgecombe and rising second-year guard Jared McCain.

  League sources remain confident the Sixers and Grimes will reach an agreement despite fan anxiety over the prolonged negotiations. Grimes and his representatives are seeking a significant payout while Philadelphia remains content to let the market play out.

  Other restricted free agents including Golden State's Jonathan Kuminga and Chicago's Josh Giddey are also waiting for resolution in the stalled market.

  Three scenarios remain possible for Grimes and Philadelphia. The sides could find an acceptable number and reach an agreement before the offseason ends. Alternatively, Grimes could accept Philadelphia's $8.7 million qualifying offer, setting up unrestricted free agency next summer. A sign-and-trade remains the least likely option given Philadelphia's unwillingness to cooperate in such scenarios.

  Grimes enjoyed a breakout season after joining the Sixers in a midseason trade from the Dallas Mavericks. In 28 games with Philadelphia, he averaged 21.9 points on 47% shooting, including 37% from three-point range. Grimes also averaged 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

  The argument can be made that Grimes ranks as Philadelphia's fourth-best player behind Joel Embiid, Maxey and Paul George. His significant role will likely prove crucial if the Sixers hope to contend in what they view as a wide-open Eastern Conference.