Dalen Terry Lands with Sixers After Deadline Shuffle, Eyes Fresh Start
The Sixers are making moves, and Dalen Terry is the latest to land in Philly as the team reshapes its depth chart post-trade deadline. With Dominick Barlow officially bumped up to a standard NBA contract, the Sixers had an open two-way slot-and they’ve used it to bring in Terry, the former Bulls first-round pick who’s had a whirlwind of a week.
Terry, the 18th overall pick out of Arizona in 2022, has had a winding road through the league so far. He showed promise coming into the draft with his size, defensive instincts, and playmaking flashes, but he hasn’t quite found his footing in the NBA just yet. His rookie year in Chicago saw limited action-38 games with just 5.6 minutes per night-and while his second season brought a slight uptick in playing time, he never carved out a consistent role in the Bulls' rotation.
Fast forward to his fourth season, and Terry has now appeared in over 200 games, averaging about 11 minutes per contest. That’s not a ton of run, but it’s enough to suggest he’s been trusted in spurts.
Before the Bulls moved on from him at the deadline, he was putting together a quietly efficient stretch-shooting 44% from the field and a strong 41% from deep while averaging 3.5 points over 34 games. The volume wasn’t high, but the efficiency was there.
The trade that ultimately landed Terry in Philadelphia was a multi-stop journey. First, the Bulls dealt him to the Knicks in a package that brought back Guerschon Yabusele.
Then the Knicks flipped Terry to the Pelicans in a deal that netted them Jose Alvarado. It looked like New Orleans might be a place where Terry could find some minutes, especially with their roster still sorting itself out-but the fit didn’t materialize, and he never suited up for the Pels.
Now, Terry joins a Sixers squad that’s gearing up for a playoff push. It’s not guaranteed he’ll see significant floor time right away, especially coming out of the All-Star break, but this is a team with a track record of maximizing its two-way players.
Just ask Dominick Barlow, who parlayed his opportunity into a full contract. Or look back to guys like Justin Edwards and Paul Reed-players who started on two-ways and worked their way into the rotation.
For Terry, this is a fresh slate. He’s still just 23, still has the tools that made him a first-round pick, and now he’s with a team that has a history of developing fringe rotation players into contributors.
The opportunity may not be immediate, but it’s real. And for a player trying to reestablish himself after bouncing between three teams in a week, that’s exactly what he needs.
The Sixers are betting that with the right environment and a little patience, Terry can still tap into the potential that made him a top-20 pick. He’ll have to earn it-but Philly might be the right place to do just that.