On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Shams Charania announced that the Oklahoma City Thunder will be signing former Bulls and 76ers’ wing Dalen Terry to a two-year deal.

The move, which fills the teams 15th and final roster spot, comes off the back of major injuries for OKC to several key players. 

“Terry departs the Warriors' G League team in Santa Cruz to provide a wing addition to Oklahoma City,” Charania added. “Per ESPN Research, the Thunder became the first team in 50 years to have three starters suffer injuries in the same game — Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace on Oct. 25 — and then all three miss the team's next 20 games or more.”

The signing isn’t yet official — as we know from the team’s reneged Ochai Agbaji deal — but it seems as if the Thunder will be moving forward with Terry on the roster. But what does that actually mean at this stage?

Drafted at No. 18 in the 2022 NBA Draft, Terry will almost certainly be looked at to add defense and hustle-play in Oklahoma City. At around 6-foot-7, he has the length and athleticism necessary to play wing in the NBA, with guard skills that have long intrigued scouts and NBA decision-makers. 

Most recently, Terry averaged 4.1 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.5 steals per game in Philadelphia following four full seasons in Chicago. He’s never played more than 14 minutes per game in his career, but could be set to see the largest minutes infusion of his career on a hobbled Thunder team.

Much like OKC’s signing of Micah Peavy — who has played solidly through a few games — Terry’s offensive game is likely to hinge on his 3-point shooting. He is a career 31% 3-point shooter, but even with OKC hampered by injury, he’s likely to see relatively improved spacing with the Thunder.

The Thunder are a traditionally high-feel team, rolling out players without high-flying athleticism, but one’s that can make plays and process the game with the best of them. Terry is very much the former, a player that is tools-y and above average athletically, but one that has seen questionable decision-making through the early part of his career.

OKC’s bet on Terry is likely that in playing alongside a two-time MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and other play-making guards like Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain, his decision-maker will either improve, or likely not be needed at the level it was in Chicago.

In the least, Terry will provide another defensive-minded wing that can provide additional minutes for OKC as they churn through the 2026-27 regular season.