The Philadelphia 76ers have taken the first step toward completing one of the NBA’s most ambitious offseasons.
The Athletic’s Tony Jones first reported Sunday that Philadelphia planned to waive guard/forward Dalen Terry. The 76ers later announced the move, parting ways with the former first-round pick to create the salary cap flexibility needed to officially add LeBron James to the roster.
Because Terry’s $2.6 million contract was non-guaranteed, Philadelphia will not carry any dead salary by releasing him.
The move had been widely anticipated after the 76ers agreed to terms with James and, a day later, reached a one-year, $3.9 million agreement with two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope following his buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies.
But Philadelphia’s cap maneuvering is not yet complete.
Sixers Still Need One More Move for KCP
Terry’s release clears the first hurdle.
The 76ers still must create additional salary-cap room before Caldwell-Pope’s contract can become official.
Jones reinforced that reality after breaking the news, confirming on X that Philadelphia still needs one more roster move, though he said he did not yet know which player would ultimately be affected.
That matches ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks‘ cap analysis from Saturday.
Shortly after Caldwell-Pope agreed to join Philadelphia, Marks noted the 76ers would need to clear two contracts to fit both James and Caldwell-Pope beneath the NBA’s first-apron hard cap.
The restriction stems from Philadelphia’s decision earlier this offseason to sign Dean Wade using more than $6.1 million of the non-taxpayer midlevel exception. Under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, that transaction automatically hard-capped the franchise at the first apron for the entire 2026-27 league year.
Unlike teams willing to pay additional luxury tax, the 76ers cannot exceed that threshold under any circumstances.
Waiving Terry allows Philadelphia to officially add James. One more transaction is now required before Caldwell-Pope can formally join the roster.
Terry Earned Respect During Brief 76ers Stint
Getty The 76ers waived Dalen Terry on Sunday in the first of two expected roster moves needed to complete the additions of LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Although Terry never carved out a regular role in Nick Nurse’s rotation, he quickly became one of the team’s most respected locker-room personalities.
The 23-year-old spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Chicago Bulls before being traded twice. After the New Orleans Pelicans waived him in February, Philadelphia claimed the former first-round pick on a two-way contract after he cleared waivers.
His energy, defensive effort and professionalism impressed the organization enough that the 76ers signed him to a two-year standard NBA contract in April, giving him an opportunity to compete for a permanent roster spot entering next season.
Ultimately, the realities of the salary cap outweighed sentiment.
Because Terry’s contract carried no guaranteed money, it represented the cleanest way to generate immediate cap flexibility while leaving the rest of Philadelphia’s projected rotation intact.
Jabari Walker Appears Next in Line
With Terry now off the roster, attention shifts to the final cap-saving move.
Marks previously identified Terry and Jabari Walker — whose contract is also non-guaranteed — as the two most logical roster casualties if Philadelphia chose the waiver route.
Walker now appears to be the leading candidate, though the Sixers could instead explore a trade involving guaranteed salary.
Philadelphia’s aggressive offseason has assembled one of the NBA’s deepest rosters around Joel Embiid, James, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and All-Rookie First Team selection VJ Edgecombe.
Terry’s release was the first domino.
One more move now stands between the 76ers and officially completing an offseason designed to maximize their championship window with James leading the pursuit of another NBA title.
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