Four days after announcing a multi-year deal for Dalen Terry, the Oklahoma City Thunder waived the former first-round pick to make room for another.
The Thunder announced Sunday, Nov. 8, that they acquired Nique Clifford from the Sacramento Kings and waived Terry in a related move. Oklahoma City sent Utah’s 2028 second-round pick and Minnesota’s 2030 second-round pick to Sacramento for Clifford.
Terry had just gotten on the board for Oklahoma City. The 6-foot-6 wing scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in 5:48 during Saturday’s 114-75 win over the Washington Wizards. A day later, the Thunder gave that roster spot to Clifford.
Terry took to social media to react to his release: “heavy and empty at the same damn time…”
Why the Thunder Waived Dalen Terry
Oklahoma City announced Terry’s signing Nov. 4, a day after news of the deal broke. As Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman reported, Terry filled the 15th and final standard roster spot. The Thunder described his contract as a multi-year deal without releasing the terms. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that Terry was on a non-guaranteed deal. Waiving him cleared the spot for Clifford while allowing Oklahoma City to complete the trade with draft picks alone.
The Chicago Bulls drafted Terry 18th overall out of Arizona in 2022. He averaged 3.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 218 games with Chicago and the Philadelphia 76ers before joining Oklahoma City. He went to camp with Golden State this fall and was headed for its G League affiliate in Santa Cruz before the Thunder brought him in, according to NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin.
What the Nique Clifford Trade Gives Oklahoma City
Clifford has a history with the Thunder’s front office. Sacramento used the No. 24 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to get him after sending Oklahoma City a top-16-protected 2027 first-round pick from San Antonio. The Thunder brought in Clifford for two seconds and kept the protected first-rounder they received on draft night. The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets also showed interest in Clifford, according to Scotto.
The immediate appeal is minutes. Clifford averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 25.1 minutes as a rookie before dropping to 6.3 minutes per game in Sacramento this season. Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace are both out following surgery, which gives coach Mark Daigneault a reason to see how much of Clifford’s rookie role translates to Oklahoma City. The 6-foot-5 wing has already logged regular NBA minutes as a rebounder and secondary passer, two things the Thunder can use alongside their established ball handlers.
There’s also a longer runway for Clifford. RealGM reported that Sacramento already picked up his 2027-28 option, with another team option for 2028-29. Oklahoma City can give him a look while Williams and Wallace recover and still have a decision to make about his role once the rotation gets healthy.
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