Tyrell Terry

And-Ones: Terry, Doncic, Tatum, Wembanyama, Selden

Former Mavericks point guard Tyrell Terry, who retired from basketball after just two seasons due to mental health reasons, explained his decision more thoroughly during an interview with Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune.

The 22-year-old, selected with the No. 31 pick out of Stanford, is back in school following his brief pro stint, now majoring in Science, Technology and Society. Terry’s issues trying to gain weight at the next level prevented him from having the kind of on-court success he had enjoyed at the NCAA level.

“On a daily basis I was trying to convince myself that I loved basketball,” Terry said. “Trying to convince myself that people’s opinions didn’t matter. It became a game of trying to convince myself of something that I didn’t believe in. I realized that’s not how I want to live my life. It was like I was damaging myself.”

Terry took a two-month personal leave from the team during his rookie season in an effort to deal with persistent anxiety attacks. He also consulted with Dallas’ team therapist. The following year, he and his team eventually coordinated his release from the roster in training camp.

There’s more from around the basketball universe:

  • Young All-NBA stars Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum have both experienced significant team success during their early years in the league, but have yet to win the ultimate prize. Jared Weiss and Tim Cato of The Athletic examine the very divergent approaches their respective clubs, the Mavericks and Celtics, have taken to their offseasons in years past, and project what it could mean for the two players’ present and future.
  • Expected No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama has officially concluded his run with Metropolitans 92, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN details. Wembanyama and his French team fell 92-85 in the third game of their league’s title series to Monaco, a club loaded with ex-NBA players like Mike James, Elie Okobo, Jordan Loyd and Donatas Motiejunas. Wembanyama, the French League MVP, recorded 22 points, seven boards and four blocks in the loss.
  • Former NBA shooting guard Wayne Selden is joining Puerto Rican club Gigantes de Carolina, reports Dario Skerletic of Sportando. After going undrafted out of Kansas in 2016, the 6’4″ swingman enjoyed stints with the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Bulls, and Knicks, as well as several NBAGL clubs. After first dipping a toe into the international game with Israeli club Ironi Ness Ziona in 2020, Selden ditched the league for good in 2022. He has since played in Turkey, Italy, and Philippines.

League OKs Mavericks’ Request To Remove Tyrell Terry From Team Salary

The NBA has approved the Mavericks‘ request to have Tyrell Terry‘s contract removed from their team salary, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

The 31st pick in the 2020 draft, Terry surprised the league in December when he announced his retirement, citing mental health issues. The 22-year-old said he was experiencing severe anxiety and had “fallen out of love” with basketball.

Terry played 11 games for Dallas as a rookie and was waived prior to the start of the 2021/22 season, despite having guaranteed money left on his contract. He signed both a 10-day and a two-way contract with the Grizzlies last season, but only appeared in two games before being waived in July.

The Mavericks were on the hook for $1.8MM to Terry this season, but they petitioned the league to have the effect on their cap erased under a career ending injury exclusion. According to Marks, the league’s decision means Dallas’ projected tax bill will fall from $60.4MM to $53.7MM.

And-Ones: Lin, Hawks, C. Grant, All-Star Game, T. Terry

Longtime NBA guard Jeremy Lin is resuming his playing career in Taiwan after parting ways with the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association last month.

Lin, who appeared in a total of 480 regular season NBA games across nine seasons, announced on his Instagram account that he’s joining the Kaohsiung Steelers. The club, which competes in the P. League+, Taiwan’s top basketball league, confirmed the news in an Instagram post of its own.

Lin last played in the NBA as a member of the champion Raptors during the 2018/19 season. Since then, he has continued to play in Asia and the G League — before he suited up for Guangzhou earlier this season, the 34-year-old spent time with the Beijing Ducks in 2019/20 and ’21/22, and with the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2021.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Shams Charania of The Athletic reported last week that the Hawks were in serious talks to hire former Cavs general manager Chris Grant as a senior advisor in their front office, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has heard that it won’t happen. “From what I’m told, even though they were interested in bringing him in, Chris has actually pulled his name from consideration,” Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast, per RealGM. “He’s going to stay with the Spurs (in a scouting role). He’s happy in San Antonio.”
  • The NBA announced this week (via Twitter) that it will have its All-Star captains pick their 12-man squads right before the All-Star Game begins, rather than days in advance. The captains will be announced tonight when the league reveals the five All-Star starters from each conference.
  • Former second-round pick Tyrell Terry, who made a surprising retirement announcement last month at age 22 for mental health reasons, spoke to Julie Kliegman of SI.com about why he opted to give up basketball and why he isn’t regretting the decision. “If you Google my name it’ll probably be, ‘Ex-Athlete Steps Away From the Game for Mental Health,'” Terry said. “But when I read some of the DMs that people have sent me – I’ve had phone call conversations with parents of athletes who are struggling – and just the kind words and the gratitude that they’ve showed me, it pushes those second thoughts to the side and makes them less relevant.”

2020 Second-Round Pick Tyrell Terry Retires

Tyrell Terry, the No. 31 overall pick of the 2020 draft, has announced his retirement from basketball in an Instagram post.

While I have achieved amazing accomplishments, created unforgettable memories, and made lifelong friends…I’ve also experienced the darkest times of my life,” the 22-year-old wrote as part of his explanation. “To the point where instead of building me up, it began to destroy me.”

Terry, who is 22 years old, went on to cite severe anxiety and the fact that he had “fallen out of love” with the sport.

To most, I will be forever known as a bust, a failure, or a waste of talent,” he continued. “While those may be true when it comes to basketball, it is the biggest failures in life that lead to the greatest success. There is more for me out in this vast world and I am extremely excited to be able to explore that. And for the first time, to be able to find my identity outside of being a basketball player.

I am eternally grateful to those who have believed in me and apologize to those that I have let down. But I’m headed down a different path now, one that will hopefully lead to happiness and being able to love myself again.”

Terry played one season of college ball at Stanford prior to being drafted, averaging 14.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.2 APG and 1.4 SPG on .441/.408/.891 shooting in 31 games (32.6 MPG). Scouts viewed him as one of the best shooters in his draft class, but had reservations about his slender frame and defense.

The 6’2″ guard was then selected with the first pick of the second round by the Mavericks. He only suited up for 11 games as a rookie in 2020/21, and was out for an extended period due to personal reasons.

Dallas waived Terry before last season started despite the fact that he had a good chunk of guaranteed money ($3.3MM) left on his contract. He later caught on with Memphis on a two-way deal, but only appeared in two games for the Grizzlies. He also played in 29 NBA G League games with the Memphis Hustle from 2020-22.

Hopefully Terry is able to find some joy again, as continuing his basketball career clearly was not in his best interest. We at Hoops Rumors wish him well going forward.

Grizzlies Sign Three Draft Picks, Kenneth Lofton Jr.

The Grizzlies have signed first-round draft picks Jake LaRavia and David Roddy to multi-year contracts, the team tweets.

LaRavia, who played for Wake Forest last season, was acquired by Memphis with the No. 19 overall pick pursuant to a draft-night trade with the Timberwolves. His rookie scale contract, under the latest salary cap, could go four years and can be worth up to $14,763,367.

Roddy, who played for Colorado State last season, was acquired by the Grizzlies with the No. 23 overall pick after a trade with the 76ers. His rookie scale deal can go four years and be worth up to $12,985,886.

[RELATED: Rookie Scale Salaries For 2022 NBA First-Round Picks]

The Grizzlies also announced that wing Vince Williams Jr. and big man Kenneth Lofton Jr. have signed two-way contracts (Twitter link).

Williams Jr., the No. 47 overall pick of this year’s draft, was selected to the 2021/22 All-Atlantic 10 First Team during his senior year at VCU.

The Grizzlies’ decision to give Lofton a two-way deal was previously reported. He was named to the All-Conference USA First Team during his sophomore year at Louisiana Tech last season but went undrafted.

With Williams and Lofton on two-way deals, the Grizzlies have waived guard Tyrell Terry, who signed a two-year, two-way contract last season. Terry, drafted by Dallas in 2020, appeared in two games with Memphis in ’21/22.

The Grizzlies still have one unsigned draftee, No. 38 pick Kennedy Chandler. His deal will likely be completed once the July moratorium ends.

Southwest Notes: Bane, Tillie, Terry, Spurs, G. Green

As the 30th overall pick of the 2020 draft, Grizzlies second-year guard Desmond Bane is used to being overlooked, but he’ll always feel like he should’ve gone off the board earlier, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

I will never let it go,” Bane told The Athletic. “I feel like teams had their chance to get me and knew who I was. It wasn’t like I was one of those one-and-done guys. You had four years to do your research on me. All my background stuff checked out. That’s on them.”

Bane has proven to be an ideal fit with star Ja Morant, Vokunov adds. After putting up 9.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 68 games (17 starts) as a rookie, Bane has increased those numbers to 17.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists through 39 games this season. He also sports a stellar shooting line of .466/.416/.906 for the 26-14 Grizzlies, currently the No. 4 seed in the West.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Keith Smith of Spotrac provides contract details (via Twitter) for Killian Tillie and Tyrell Terry of the Grizzlies. Tillie was promoted to a standard deal from a two-way contract last week, with Terry taking his two-way spot. Smith relays that Tillie will receive a portion of the room exception for his two-year deal, which is fully guaranteed at $1,901,625 for both 2021/22 and 2022/23, while Terry signed a two-year, two-way contract.
  • Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop leans on an ancient philosophy to adjust to life as a NBA journeyman, especially during a pandemic, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Bates-Diop, an avid reader, utilizes Stoicism to deal with the uncertainties of life. “I’ve tried to be even-keeled throughout it all, just trusting the work without getting too emotional, too high or too low,” Bates-Diop said. “It’s all about acceptance. Accepting the things that happen, the things you can and can’t control. That was a big thing for me, separating the two.
  • Spurs rookies Joshua Primo and Joe Wieskamp performed well in a blowout loss on Tuesday, but both players know they’re going to spend more time in the G League when the team returns to full strength, Orsborn writes in a separate article for the Express-News. Coach Gregg Popovich says Primo is very mature for his young age (he just turned 19 two weeks ago). “Joshua has an uncanny maturity about him, kind of a steady demeanor,” Popovich said. “He is not awed by the NBA or anything like that. He makes good decisions. He definitely knows how to play. It’s just a matter of getting stronger and aware that these are men and they are coming after your head, so to speak. He just has to get used to that physicality and all that sort of thing.”
  • 35-year-old veteran Gerald Green, who recently decided to unretire and take another shot at the NBA, will be playing for the Rockets‘ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Grizzlies Give Two-Year Deal To Tillie, Waive Merrill, Sign Terry To Two-Way

6:30pm: The moves are official, the Grizzlies announced (Twitter links).


6:10pm: Two-way player Killian Tillie will sign a standard contract with the Grizzlies, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The second-year big man will get a deal worth $4MM over two years.

Tillie signed a two-way contract after going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2020, then inked another two-way deal in August. He’s averaging 3.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 22 games this season, but his playing time has increased recently with the Grizzlies short-handed due to health and safety protocols.

Memphis will open a roster spot by waiving injured guard Sam Merrill, Woj adds (Twitter link). Merrill will undergo a surgical procedure on his left ankle that will keep him out of action for three to four months, sources tell Wojnarowski.

A rookie with the Bucks last year, Merrill was acquired by the Grizzlies in an offseason trade. He only appeared in six games for Memphis, averaging 4.2 PPG in 9.7 minutes per night, and last played on November 18. The move will include a $1.5MM cap hit, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Wojnarowski adds that the Grizzlies believe Merrill has potential and may consider bringing him back once he’s healed.

The open two-way slot will be filled by guard Tyrell Terry, who signed as a hardship player last week, adds Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Terry has made two brief appearances since coming to Memphis, playing a combined three minutes.

Grizzlies Sign Tyrell Terry, Shaq Buchanan Under Hardship Provision

DECEMBER 26: The signings are official, according to a team press release.


DECEMBER 25: The Grizzlies will sign guards Tyrell Terry and Shaq Buchanan to 10-day contracts via the hardship exception, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Terry, 21, was selected by the Mavericks with the 31st pick in the 2020 draft. He appeared in 11 games for Dallas last season, seeing just 5.1 minutes per night, and was waived in October before the new season began.

Buchanan, 24, went undrafted out of Murray State in 2019. He has signed training camp deal with Memphis the past three years, but has been released before the start of each season.

Since Dallas’ G League affiliate didn’t take part in the Orlando bubble last season, Terry was assigned to the Grizzlies’ NBAGL team, the Memphis Hustle, averaging 14.7 points in 13 games. Buchanan is in his third season with the Hustle and is averaging 18.7 PPG through 13 games.

The Grizzlies currently have Jarrett Culver and Ziaire Williams in the league’s health and safety protocols.

Mavericks Waive Tyrell Terry, Carlik Jones, Feron Hunt

The Mavericks announced in a press release that they have waived Tyrell Terry, Carlik Jones, and Feron Hunt.

Terry, the 31st overall pick of the 2020 draft, was on a guaranteed contract worth more than $3.3MM over the next two seasons, including a bit more than $1.5MM this season. If no team claims him off waivers, Dallas will be responsible for the full amount of the guaranteed money left on his deal.

Terry played just 11 games as a rookie last season, missing significant time due to personal reasons. He had been away from the team during preseason action as well, reportedly due to a family matter.

The 21-year-old had a strong freshman season with Stanford in 2019/20, putting up 14.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 3.2 APG (32.6 MPG) in 31 games, with a shooting line of .441/.408/.891. Many analysts considered him one of the best shooters in the 2020 draft, but had reservations about his slender frame and defense.

Jones and Hunt were undrafted rookies on Exhibit 10 contracts, and could see time with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ G League squad, if they’re not picked up by other teams. If they stick with the Legends for at least 60 days, they could earn bonuses of up to $50K. Both players played all four preseason contests with the Mavericks.

The moves bring the Mavericks to a full 15-man roster, with both two-way contracts filled. Terry being waived likely means that both Moses Brown and Frank Ntilikina made the team.

Southwest Notes: Zion, Exum, Grizzlies, Terry

Pelicans star Zion Williamson continued his effort to quell speculation that he’s unhappy in New Orleans during an interview Friday with SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter link). Williamson expressed his fondness for the city and indicated that he sees a long-term future with the team.

“I love it here,” he said. “Anybody that knows me … they know that I love New Orleans. This is the city for me.”

The comments echoed a statement that Williamson made on media day in the wake of reports that some family members are urging him to seek a more successful team in a larger market and that he might have a shaky relationship with head of basketball operations David Griffin. Williamson will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.

During the same interview, Williamson discussed improvements that he made to his game during the offseason, including an expanded use of floaters and midrange shots (hat tip to Oleh Kosel of TheBirdWrites.com). He also expressed a determination to reach the playoffs after missing them in his first two NBA seasons.

“It was a sickening feeling,” Williamson said. “We weren’t in the playoffs — and I’m watching the playoffs — I’m like, man, we can be there. Like I know we can be there this year. Man, something just took over me and I was like, yeah, it’s not happening again. It’s not happening no more. When I started training, everything, from every rep, everything just felt personal. Everything was like, nah, nothing this year is going to stop us from getting into the playoffs. Like, we’re going to do this. I’m going to make sure I do my part and more, to make sure my teammates see me working.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Rockets guard Dante Exum had an impressive showing in the Olympics and wants to carry it over to the NBA, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Injuries have hampered Exum’s career over the past six years and he played only six games last season, all with Cleveland before being traded in January. However, Exum is only 26 and is determined to show the league what he can do. “I feel great,” he said. “I feel probably the best I felt since I’ve gotten into the league. I feel strong, healthy, ready to take on 82 games.”
  • The Grizzlies have made moves over the past two offseasons to upgrade at the wing, but Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian contends the position is already in good hands with Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson.
  • Mavericks guard Tyrell Terry is away from the team temporarily to attend to a family matter, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. There’s not a set time for Terry to return.