SATURDAY, 12:21pm: The Kings have officially announced Terry’s choice to rehab rather than join the Kings for the remainder of the year, via their official site.
FRIDAY, 11:03pm: Kings coach Michael Malone said on his weekly radio interview that the recently acquired Jason Terry will not join the team for the remainder of the year, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Terry has opted to rehab in preparation for next season, saying he has yet to recover from a knee surgery he underwent in the offseason. Jones also reports that the team has no plans to buy out Terry’s contract, which was a rumored possibility. Terry’s contract has one year remaining beyond this season at approximately $5.5MM.
The 36-year-old’s 2013/14 season will go down as the worst of his career to this point, with career-low averages in nearly every major statistical category. Terry came to the Nets from the Celtics, in the summer blockbuster deal that also sent future Hall-of-Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn. Once one of the premier sixth-man scorers in the league, he has failed to make much of an impact with the Celtics or Nets in recent years.
Terry was acquired by the Kings at the trade deadline along with Reggie Evans, in exchange for shooting guard Marcus Thornton. The Wasserman Media Group client will need to show significant improvement next year if he wishes to extend his career at all, a career that has included 11 seasons above 15 PPG and a crucial role in the Mavs’ 2011 championship season.