The Golden State Warriors may still be calling it a competition for their final roster spots, but Dalen Terry does not look like he has much room to climb.
Golden State has Georges Niang, Brandon Williams and Terry all on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals, which gives the team the freedom to move on from any of them before the season starts without much cost. That setup was clearly built around flexibility and camp competition, and for a roster that will need help from every corner, the approach makes sense.
Even so, Terry always seemed to be the odd man out. The Warriors have a real need for a backup point guard behind Stephen Curry, and despite Brandon Williams’ flaws, he is still the best option on the roster for that job. Niang, meanwhile, offers something Golden State can use right away as a floor-spacer in the frontcourt behind Draymond Green, Yaxel Lendeborg and Gui Santos.
Terry doesn’t bring either of those things, at least not based on what he has shown so far in the league.
His preseason debut only reinforced that reality. Against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, Terry played just under 11 minutes and finished with five points on 2-of-4 shooting, along with five rebounds and two assists. Those are respectable numbers in limited run, but they did not scream “must-keep” in a battle where every minute matters.
Williams got more time, playing 15.5 minutes and finishing as Golden State’s leading scorer with 11 points. He also got a personal welcome from Steve Kerr. Niang logged more than 12 minutes as he continues working back after missing all of last season with an injury.
For Terry, the problem is bigger than one preseason night. He averaged 3.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 36.4% from deep last season across 48 games with the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers. Before that, his three NBA seasons produced perimeter marks of 35.6%, 23.0% and 25.9%, which doesn’t exactly build confidence that he’s on the verge of becoming a reliable shooter.
That matters here because Terry’s best case with the Warriors was always going to be tied to belief in his upside. If the coaching staff thought it could turn him into a dependable 3-and-D rotation piece, maybe there was a path to a guaranteed deal. But Terry is no longer eligible for a two-way contract after reaching four seasons of NBA service time, so the margin for error is gone.
The rest of the preseason could still shake things up. But right now, Golden State appears to have more use for Williams’ and Niang’s skill sets than for Terry’s. Unless he starts showing he can be a consistent shooting threat, his hold on a Warriors spot looks shaky at best.
Even if that door closes in Golden State, Terry could still find another team willing to take a shot on him after the preseason. With the Warriors, though, his lifeline already looks like it may be slipping fast.
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