76ers Land Several Prospects After 2023 NBA Draft
The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t have a lot to work with during Thursday night’s big event. Heading into the 2023 NBA Draft, the Sixers didn’t possess any picks, as they traded away their first-rounder two seasons ago and lost their second-round pick due to tampering last summer.
Although the Sixers weren’t scheduled to make any picks, reports leading up to Thursday night’s event hinted that Philadelphia could make their way into the second round via trade.
Unfortunately, the entire draft came and went, and the Sixers didn’t get on the board. While a leaked picture from the Sixers’ draft room on Thursday showed the team was targeting several second-round picks, they failed to get a deal done.
However, the Sixers still landed several prospects following the draft.
As many undrafted prospects quickly negotiated deals with teams following the draft, the Sixers were one of a handful of teams to agree to deals with incoming rookies who did not get a call during the draft.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Sixers will sign Ricky Council IV out of Arkansas. Shortly after reportedly agreeing to terms with Council, the Sixers also acquired Azuolas Tubelis out of Arizona and Terquavion Smith out of NC State.
Council enters the NBA following stints with two different schools in the NCAA. After appearing in 49 games across two seasons at Wichita State, Council wrapped up his college career in the SEC at Arkansas.
Last season, Council appeared in 36 games, starting 29 matchups. Spending an average of 34 minutes on the court, Council put up 16 points per game while knocking down 43 percent of his shots. From deep, Council hit on just 27 percent of his shots.
With Smith, the Sixers are adding another guard, who just wrapped up his sophomore season at NC State. Starting in 59 of 66 games over the last two years, Smith averaged 17 points while hitting on 35 percent of his threes throughout his college career.
Beyond the backcourt, the Sixers are also expected to add a forward in Tubelis. At Arizona, Tubelis appeared in 97 games over the last three seasons. He spent 27 minutes on the court per game and picked up 89 starts. Last season, Tubelis averaged 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block per game.
The three prospects are expected to join the 76ers on two-way deals. In addition, the Sixers are also expected to add wing Marcus Bagley, who spent the last three seasons at Arizona State. Bagley, who averaged 11 points while shooting 35 percent from deep in the Pac-12, will join the Sixers on an Exhibit-10 deal.