The Philadelphia 76ers opened a roster spot to officially sign LeBron James by waiving Dalen Terry.
The Philadelphia 76ers have waived wing Dalen Terry.
The move comes prior to LeBron James officially signing his two-year, $8 million contract that includes a player option. The move comes in an effort to get under the first apron hard cap to sign James.
Another move is needed for the Sixers to add Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He reached a buyout agreement with the Memphis Grizzlies and has agreed to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, reuniting him with his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate who he won a championship with in 2020.
Terry, the former first-round pick of the Chicago Bulls in 2022, appeared in 14 games with the Sixers and averaged 14 minutes and 4 points.
The 24-year-old wing spent his first five years with the Bulls and joined the 76ers in 2025, hoping to be an asset to the team. Terry was an asset but in a different way than what he imagined. The former Arizona Wildcat was highly touted for his size and agility. A big reason why he was taken 18th overall. While he may not have been a huge factor on the court, his energy in practice fueled his teammates on gameday.
At Arizona, Terry was a standout player, where he was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention as a sophomore in 2021–22. In his final season as a Wildcat he averaged 8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
What does a move like this do for the 76ers? Beyond allowing them to add James to the roster, nothing. Now, this isn’t to say that Terry is a bad player or anything like that; it just speaks more to the Sixers' desire to win now. This was a player who would struggle to find time on the court even if James wasn’t on the roster.
Philadelphia isn’t looking to mold talent for the future. They essentially have James on a flyer and are hoping that if they put all their chips in play, it'll pay off in the form of hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy. With Embiid and James on borrowed time, there is no time like the present.
This wouldn’t be the first time the team poured all their money into aging assets. Never forget when former general manager Daryl Morey paid James Harden and Paul George in an effort to get to the NBA Finals. Now with a new GM in town, he’s looking to make an impact, and nothing could be more impactful than an NBA championship.
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J'Mar Smith is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected].
