Undrafted rookie guard Melvin Council Jr. has agreed to sign with the Pelicans, according to his agency, Seros Partners (Instagram link). Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress, who is tracking undrafted free agent deals at RookieScale.com, confirmed to Hoops Rumors that the deal will be an Exhibit 10.
Council bounced around over the course of his college career, playing two seasons of junior college ball before playing for Wagner and St. Bonaventure and then transferring to Kansas for his senior year. As a Jayhawk in 2025/26, he averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 35 games, all starts (34.8 minutes per contest).
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic ranked Council No. 81 in his draft guide, praising the 6’3″ guard’s athleticism and competitiveness but noting that he needed to shoot the ball better — Council’s shooting line was .405/.291/.775 over the last three seasons. The 24-year-old was No. 96 on Jeremy Woo of ESPN’s pre-draft big board.
Council’s non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 training camp contract will put him in line to earn a bonus worth up to $91K if he’s waived before the season begins and then spends at least 60 days with the Laketown Squadron, the affiliate team of the Pelicans. An Exhibit 10 deal can also be converted into two-way contract before opening night.
