Jason Terry

Jason Terry Wants To Play Two More Years

Jason Terry, who will turn 40 later this year, is the NBA’s third-oldest player behind Vince Carter and Manu Ginobili, but Terry doesn’t intend to call it a career after this season. In fact, the veteran Bucks guard would like to continue playing for multiple years, as he tells Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times.

“No. No,” Terry said when asked about the possibility of retirement. “I’m going to play two more years, God willing. Actually, I am going to play two more years.”

Terry, who is in his 18th NBA season, continues to play in a rotation role for Milwaukee this season, averaging 17.1 minutes per game. Although his 3.6 PPG represents a career low, his three-point shot has been as effective as ever — he has made 41.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc, and 42 of his 57 total made field goals this year have been three-pointers.

Although his role and his production aren’t as substantial as they were earlier in his career, Terry told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle last month that he likes acting as a veteran mentor to his younger teammates in Milwaukee. The 39-year-old’s contract with the Bucks expires at season’s end, so it remains to be seen if he’ll attempt to continue his career in Wisconsin or somewhere else in 2017/18.

Central Notes: Terry, Korver, Bulls, I. Smith

Jason Terry is comfortable playing the elder statesman role on a young Bucks team, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. After two years in Houston, the 39-year-old guard signed with Milwaukee in August. He is averaging just 17.6 minutes and 3.3 points per game, but he likes the chance to help young players learn the game. “No question, I’m enjoying my role,” Terry said. “What this organization and this coaching staff is creating is about teaching. When you have two young great superstars [Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker], they understand they need to surround them with veteran guys like myself. It’s been great.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Cavaliers are just 1-3 since trading for Kyle Korver, but the veteran shooter believes he and the team are adjusting to each other, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs just returned from a long road trip, giving Korver his first chance to get a taste of life in his new home. “It’s great to have a practice here in Cleveland,” he said. “… The more time we spend together, the better chemistry we’re going to have. A lot of what my game is based on chemistry. Getting a good feel for the guys, me getting a feel for them, them getting a feel for me and how I play. Every day gets a little better.” 
  • Injuries and illnesses are juggling the Bulls‘ rotation and hampering player development, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Denzel Valentine, Jerian Grant and Paul Zipser have all been in and out of the lineup recently as coach Fred Hoiberg tries to find healthy and effective combinations. “We have so many young guys and all of them at some point over the course of the year have given us good minutes,” Hoiberg said. “… It’s something that we’ll continue to juggle until we find the right group. It’s unfortunate. Denzel has had some good moments and then has had a setback on a couple of different moments.”
  • Pistons point guard Ish Smith did his best to keep a team-first attitude when he learned of his brief benching last week, relays Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Smith, who was the starter for the season’s first 21 games while Reggie Jackson was injured, had appeared in all 41 before coach Stan Van Gundy told him he wouldn’t be playing. Van Gundy compared it to a baseball manager giving a slumping player a game off. “In shootaround, I wasn’t happy at all when he told me,” Smith said. “That was the decision he made and when I talked to my mother and my family, they said, ‘Get your head out of your behind and be a good teammate.’”

Central Notes: Liggins, MCW, Bucks, Stuckey

Cavaliers shooting guard DeAndre Liggins has long been heralded as a scrappy, defensive stopper, but a recent stint in Cleveland’s rotation has pushed the 28-year-old journeyman into the spotlight. After winning the D-League Defensive Player of the Year award last season, Liggins has thrived with the defending champions, especially now that he’s seeing more time with the first unit.

“The biggest difference now,” Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue tells ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, “[Is that] he’s playing with the starters and now he doesn’t have to handle the ball as much. He doesn’t have to make plays. So now he can just do what he does, and that’s defend, maul people on defense.”

The wing, who models his game after fellow Chicago native Tony Allen played over 20 minutes three times last week while filling in for the injured J.R. Smith. Smith returned to the Cavaliers’ starting lineup on Saturday night, but it appears likely that Liggins will continue to see more action than he had been seeing prior to the opportunity.

You can read more of McMenamin’s in-depth discussion with Liggins – one that touches on his personal history and the domestic assault charges that nearly derailed his career – at ESPN. Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Fred Hoiberg is uncertain when the Bulls will be able to welcome reserve point guard Michael Carter-Williams back to the lineup, says ESPN’s Nick Friedell. Asked if a return by the end of the month was possible, Hoiberg suggested that the team will have a better idea when the guard removes his soft cast. Out since October 31, Carter-Williams only switched into his soft cast last week.
  • If the Bucks have decided to locate their recently announced D-League affiliate in nearby Racine, Wisconsin, official word hasn’t yet trickled over to the mayor of the city. As Patrick Leary reports for The Journal Times, the franchise has not made it clear whether or not it will occupy the forthcoming $46MM Racine Event Center and the delay has impacted the publication of a facility financing package. For a while now, the Bucks have been in the process of choosing a location for an affiliate, but the timetable been pushed back on multiple occasions. Other possible Wisconsin locations include Oshkosh and Sheboygan.
  • Bucks veteran Jason Terry has impressed coaches and opponents around the league, says Chase Hughes of CSN. At 39 years and 85 days old, Terry is the third oldest player in the NBA. Recently Wizards head coach Scott Brooks cited the guard’s willingness to prepare every day and to maintain his body as the keys to his longevity.
  • The Pacers have several options at the two down the stretch, but recently head coach Nate McMillan has shown a proclivity to role with 10-year veteran Rodney Stuckey instead of starter Monta Ellis. As Nate Taylor writes at the Indy Star, McMillan has played Stuckey with the rest of the starting unit in the final minutes of each of Indiana’s past three games. Taylor reports that it’s Stuckey’s ability to contribute on both ends of the floor that has earned him the extra playing time.

Eastern Notes: MCW, Smith, Terry

The Pistons are in need of point guard help, but the team never called the Bucks about acquiring Michael Carter-Williams, Jake Fischer of SI.com reports (Twitter link). Milwaukee reportedly will send MCW to the Bulls.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Ish Smith has no hard feelings toward the Sixers, as Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sportsnet relays. “No, no, no, no, no,” Smith said of the possibility of ill feelings. “Everything was perfect. [My new deal] was done quick. I’m excited and I’m very, very happy about the decision. … Believe me, the city, I love the city here. I love the fans, they’ve been great. But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.” Smith signed a three year, $18MM deal with the Pistons during the offseason.
  • Smith and Brett Brown have kept in touch and the Sixers coach remains a big fan of the point guard, Camerato adds in the same piece. “He’s got such an infectious personality. He’s really got charisma,” Brown said. “His mood never changed. He just was so solid in himself and had a bounce and a spirit and was happy. Just a wonderful teammate and just a real joy to coach.”
  • New addition Jason Terry believes the Bucks have a chance to do great things this season, as he explains on NBA TV (Twitter link). “We are young and dangerous at the core, but we have veteran experience… sky is the limit,” Terry said.

Eastern Notes: Terry, Sanders, Wall, Forbes

A shot at playing time may have been what most attracted Jason Terry to the Bucks, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Terry appeared in 72 games and averaged 17.5 minutes per night for the Rockets last season, and apparently he’s not ready for a reduced role, even with his 39th birthday looming next month. After missing out on free agent guards Kent Bazemore and Dwyane Wade, the Bucks turned to Terry, who ranks third on the list of most 3-pointers made in a career. “Whether he gets 40 minutes, four minutes or no minutes, he’ll accept it and be professional about it,’’ said Terry’s agent, Ryan N. Davis. “He’s excited to be with Milwaukee and help them.’’

There’s more news tonight from the Eastern Conference:

  • Former Bucks center Larry Sanders has no interest in signing a deal that is only guaranteed for training camp, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Sanders, who hasn’t played since leaving the NBA in December of 2014 because of anxiety and depression, is looking for a situation that offers a real opportunity to make a 15-man roster.
  • Wizards point guard John Wall is going through intense rehab as he tries to bounce back from two knee surgeries in May, writes Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic. Wall, who is expected to be ready for the start of next season, promises “the beginning of the new John Wall era” and says he’s trying to get in the best shape of his career.
  • Former Nuggets and Raptors wing Gary Forbes is among the most likely players taken by the Long Island Nets in this week’s expansion draft to actually play for the D-League team, according to NetsDaily.com. Most of the draftees have overseas contracts for next season, but the 31-year-old Forbes doesn’t. Other possibilities are swingmen Carrick Felix and Akil Mitchell.

Jason Terry Talks Free Agency Process

Veteran guard Jason Terry recently inked a one-year contract with the Bucks, and while it’s only a minimum-salary deal, it’s fully guaranteed, which is something of a rarity at this point in the NBA offseason. In an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio (SoundCloud link), Terry admitted that the free agency process can be tough at this late stage in his career (he’ll turn 39 next month). He also identified several of the teams he considered before landing in Milwaukee.

“I had a couple contenders that I was really seriously looking at. Two of them were in the Finals, so that tells you right there who they were,” Terry said, referring to the Cavaliers and Warriors. “I made a call to [Gregg Popovich]. San Antonio’s another one. They were my arch-enemy for eight years when I was in Dallas, but that’s another phone call — if they call, you pick up, there’s just no question about it. … I always thought about going back and trying to finish off where I started in Atlanta. I like what they did. And then I seriously considered Boston, though we did not have a conversation.”

Based on Terry’s comments, it’s not clear how many of those teams he reached out to, and how many reached out to him, so it’s possible that interest wasn’t mutual in all those scenarios. Terry also admitted that while he had some interest in the Lakers, that interest wasn’t reciprocated, since Los Angeles already had a good idea of what its 15-man roster would look like.

“I called my good friend Luke [Walton],” Terry said. “I told him if he needed any help — veteran leadership, in that capacity, with an ability to coach at the end of my deal, then that was something I would be looking forward to. He utterly declined, and I respect him for that.”

Although he’s not the scorer he was early in his career, Terry was still a solid contributor in Houston over the last two seasons, averaging 19.5 MPG in 149 regular-season contests, and averaging 6.5 PPG, 1.7 APG, and 0.8 SPG while shooting 37.5% on three-pointers. In both of his seasons with the Rockets, Terry received a bump in playing time during the postseason.

Contract Details: Terry, Bolomboy, Yi

More and more of the deals being signed by players with NBA teams as training camps approach will be non-guaranteed, minimum-salary pacts which essentially function as camp invites. However, there are still a handful of players getting a decent amount of guaranteed money in their newly-signed contracts. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has updates on a few of those players, so let’s round up the details…

  • Jason Terry‘s one-year contract with the Bucks is a guaranteed, minimum-salary deal, according to Pincus (via Twitter). While the cap hit for Milwaukee will be just $980,431, Terry – who has more than 10 years of NBA experience – will earn the highest allowable minimum salary, worth $1,551,659.
  • Joel Bolomboy, the 52nd overall pick in this year’s draft, received a fully guaranteed first-year salary of $600K from the Jazz, and has half of his minimum second-year salary guaranteed as well, per Pincus (Twitter link). Utah’s cap flexibility allowed the team to sign the Weber State alum for more than the minimum and for three years; a $1MM+ commitment in guaranteed money suggests the club expects Bolomboy to be on its regular-season roster.
  • We passed along the general details of Yi Jianlian‘s unusual contract with the Lakers on Tuesday, but in a series of tweets, Pincus goes into more detail as he attempts to figure out exactly how the deal will work. Jianlian has nearly $7MM in likely incentives on his one-year deal, and Pincus believes those incentives will be tied to how many games the Chinese big man plays, with multiple checkpoints along the way.

Bucks Sign Jason Terry

AUGUST 22nd: The signing is official, the team announced.

AUGUST 19th: Terry says he has agreed to sign with the Bucks, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. “They are a young team on the cusp of doing great things and the Bucks have a great coach in Jason Kidd,” Terry said (Twitter link).

AUGUST 18th: The Bucks are in advanced contract talks with veteran point guard Jason Terry, NBA sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Terry, who turns 39 next month, averaged 5.9 points and 1.4 assists in 17.5 minutes for the Rockets last season while appearing in 72 games.

Milwaukee only has 13 players with guaranteed contracts but it is over the salary-cap limit. The Bucks still have the $2.9MM room exception at their disposal. The Rockets informed Terry last month that he was no longer in their plans.

It’s somewhat curious that the Bucks would be interested in Terry, considering they signed free agent Matthew Dellavedova away from the Cavaliers to compete with Michael Carter-Williams at the point guard spot. They also have Tyler Ennis on the roster and it’s noteworthy that the club used Giannis Antetokounmpo with great success as a point forward the second half of last season.

However, Terry could not only provide a veteran locker room presence but also some outside shooting. He’s a career 37.9% shooter on 3-point attempts and could play off the ball with Antetokounmpo running the attack.

Terry has averaged 14.3 points and 4.1 assists in a career that began with the Hawks in 1999/2000.

Central Notes: Smith, Terry, Novak, Pistons

Money is the only sticking point in negotiations between J.R. Smith and the Cavaliers, writes Sam Amico of Amicohoops.net. Smith wants to stay in Cleveland where he is comfortable with coach Tyronn Lue and was an important contributor to the Cavs’ championship run. The organization is happy with Smith’s clutch shooting and improved defense. However, the two sides appear to be far apart on salary, and it’s not certain that the situation will be resolved before the Cavaliers open training camp September 26th. Smith, who turns 31 next month, made $5MM last season. He has reportedly seen his bargaining power weakened by a lack of interest from other teams.

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Bucks are looking for leadership by adding veterans Jason Terry and Steve Novak to the league’s youngest roster, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Terry, 38, confirmed today that he will sign with Milwaukee, and Novak, 33, is expected to re-sign soon after spending the end of last season with the Bucks.
  • The Pistons expect to have about $5MM in cap room next summer, but several decisions could push that number higher or lower, states Aaron McMann of MLive. The $5MM figure assumes that Detroit picks up the options on Stanley Johnson and Darrun Hilliard and that Aron Baynes opts out of the final year of his deal. However, the Pistons still need to find a third point guard and make a decision on whether to re-sign Reggie Bullock, who will be a free agent after next season.
  • The fear of losing Baynes next summer prompted the Pistons to target Boban Marjanovic, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Detroit offered Marjanovic an offer sheet worth $21MM over three years, and the Spurs, who didn’t have his Bird rights, declined to match. Marjanovic has limited NBA experience, and coach/executive Stan Van Gundy credits extensive scouting work for enabling the Pistons to identify him as a worthwhile prospect.

Rockets Won’t Re-Sign Jason Terry

Jason Terry won’t return to the Rockets next season, the veteran point guard said this evening in an interview on Sirius XM NBA Radio (Twitter link). Terry, who will turn 39 in September, said Houston officials told him several days ago that he’s not in their plans for the future.

Terry has spent the past two seasons with the Rockets, primarily as a backup to Patrick Beverley. He appeared in 72 games this season, starting seven, and averaged 5.9 points and 1.4 assists per night. He was a key contributor to the Rockets team that reached the Western Conference finals in 2014/15.

Terry, who made a little less than $1.5MM this season, has been with six teams during his 17-year NBA career. All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas recently campaigned for the Celtics to sign Terry.