The OKC Thunder may have waived Dalen Terry following their recent acquisition of Nique Clifford, but this doesn't necessarily mean his story out in the Sooner State is officially over.
At least, that's the sentiment CBS Sports' Sam Quinn seems to be pushing in the aftermath of Sunday's trade.
During a recent episode of the Third Apron podcast, Quinn noted how one of his biggest takeaways from the Clifford deal is that he's "much more confident now that [Nikola] Topic isn't even going to finish the season with the Thunder," stressing that the addition of Clifford signals the guard will be pushed even further back on the depth chart, as the former should take on "a somewhat similar role."
He would then suggest that Topic could very easily be packaged into a deal, perhaps even alongside big man Thomas Sorber, to not only bring back assets more beneficial to Oklahoma City's needs, but also to create an extra roster spot to "bring Dalen Terry back" should he remain available in free agency.
Since being waived, some have floated the idea of the Thunder now potentially pursuing Terry with a two-way contract. While such a move would certainly be convenient, unfortunately, he is no longer eligible to ink such a deal, as he's two years beyond the league's three years of NBA service limit.
If they're actually interested in bringing him back, opening a standard roster spot seems to be their only option, and Quinn believes they could realistically do so sometime between now and February's trade deadline.
Thunder have been ruthless during early stages of injury-plagued season
The Thunder have been forced to make some tough decisions during these early stages of the 2026-27 NBA season due, largely, to their widespread injury woes.
From waiving Otega Oweh mere days after he ruptured his Achilles and signing and cutting Ochai Agbaji in a span of just 24 hours to now moving on from Dalen Terry just a few days after signing him in favor of the Nique Clifford trade, Oklahoma City has seemingly been more business-oriented with their decision-making than they ever have throughout the Sam Presti era.
The sad reality is that while this ruthless, cutthroat approach may differ from the club's people-first, development-heavy method of building out their roster, drastic times unfortunately call for drastic measures.
Even with the devestating injuries to guys like Jalen Williams (ankle), Cason Wallace (shoulder), and Chet Holmgren (knee), this Thunder team is still gunning for an NBA Championship this season.
In order for them to have a chance at achieving such a goal, this front office needs to do everything they can to keep the supporting cast around superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander highly complimentary.
Hopefully these merciless moves will prove well worth it in the end.
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