Dalen Terry’s run with the Golden State Warriors ended before it ever really got started, but his next step could still matter.
After an impressive preseason showing, the Warriors still let Terry go, a tough outcome given what he flashed in a 23-point, eight-rebound, nine-assist performance against the Portland Trail Blazers. That game offered a reminder of why Golden State brought him in on a training camp flyer in the first place.
There’s still obvious upside here: an offensively capable, 3-and-D wing with tools worth watching. The catch is that Terry is no longer eligible for a two-way deal after already completing four NBA seasons.
That left the Warriors with a roster squeeze they couldn’t really solve. To carry Terry on the final 15-man group, Golden State would have had to move on from either Brandon Williams or Georges Niang, and that was never a likely path.
Now Terry is headed to the Santa Cruz Warriors, and that may not be the end of the story.
The way Golden State’s roster is built, Terry never had much room to force his way in. Niang’s deal, while only partially guaranteed, would have cost the Warriors more than $1.8 million to keep if they released him, and with how tight the team’s finances are relative to the second apron, paying a player not to be on the roster was not going to happen.
Williams also changed the equation quickly. He established himself as a real backup point guard behind Stephen Curry, something the Warriors have been missing in recent years. If Terry couldn’t step into that kind of role, he was basically boxed out from the start.
Still, this doesn’t feel like a roster set in stone. Golden State has kept enough financial flexibility to make things interesting later. Draymond Green is on an expiring deal, Jimmy Butler is on an expiring deal, and Kristaps Porzingis effectively fits that same category because of how his guarantees are structured.
If the Warriors decide to get ahead of free agency and move one of those pieces, a roster spot could open up before the season is over.
For Terry, though, the assignment is bigger than waiting around. Across four NBA seasons, with limited chances in the rotation, he’s averaged 3.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 31.4% from 3-point range.
That last number matters most. Any path back to NBA value for Terry depends on him becoming a reliable perimeter shooter off the bench.
There is at least something to build on. He has already shown the ability to pop in the G-League, where he has shot 43.2% from 3-point range over 20 career games. That said, huge G-League numbers don’t automatically carry over to the NBA.
Even so, Terry should get plenty of chances in Santa Cruz this season, especially with second-round pick Lajae Jones working overseas. That gives him a clear runway to answer questions about his shot, his consistency, and whether there’s a longer-term role waiting if Golden State’s roster starts to shift.
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