Just as he appeared on the brink of Arizona basketball stardom, Dalen Terry is gone.
After seeing his stock rise while testing the NBA Draft this spring, Terry announced Tuesday he would stay in the draft and forego his junior season with the Wildcats. The decision is a significant blow to UA, which has now lost three starters to the NBA Draft but remains in the mix for key transfers such as Keion Brooks (Kentucky), Efe Abogidi (Washington State) and Courtney Ramey (Texas).
Without wing Bennedict Mathurin and center Christian Koloko, who earlier declared definitively for the draft, the Wildcats were expected to place Terry into a prominent role next season as a defensive stopper, secondary playmaker and go-to scorer. But instead, as a pro, Terry will likely make at least $500,000 next season β and substantially more if he is taken in the first round of the June 23 NBA Draft
ESPNβs latest mock NBA Draft projects Terry as the No. 27 pick, late in the first round, where players are guaranteed two-year contracts worth at least $4 million. Also projected No. 28 by USA Today but not mentioned in the first round of mock drafts from CBS, NBC and the Ringer, Terry is widely projected to fall no lower than the middle of the second round, where he is likely at least to receive a two-way contract between the NBA and G League worth about $500,000 next season.
βItβs been a lifelong dream of mine to play at the highest level,β Terry said in his statement. βAfter many conversations with the people closest to me, Iβve decided to remain in the 2022 NBA Draft.
βWildcat Nation, I cannot thank you enough for everything youβve done for me. Just know that I will be a Wildcat forever.β
Earlier Tuesday, after a workout with the Indiana Pacers, Terry told the clubβs in-house media that playing for the Wildcatsβ surprisingly successful team last season was the βbest basketball year of my life, honestly,β but did not indicate if he would stay in the draft or return to school.
Terry announced in April he would test the NBA Draft while keeping open the option to return to school. While he was initially expected to return to the Wildcats, Terry appeared to improve his NBA Draft stock via team workouts and measurements taken at the NBA Combine last month. ESPNβs Jonathan Givony called Terry and Santa Claraβs Jalen Williams βstandoutsβ of the predraft process.
In official Combine measurements, Terry tied for first among guards in standing reach (8 feet, 10 inches) and tied for second among guards in wingspan (7 feet, 0.75 inches). Terry and Australiaβs Dyson Daniels were also tied for second among guards in height without shoes (6-6).
The Athletic noted that Terry measured βoutstandingly with a 6-foot-7 height in shoes and a near-7-foot-1 wingspan that will give teams hope on his developmental pathway as a bigger guard that can slide down to the wing.β
USA Todayβs post-Combine mock NBA Draft put Terry toward the end of the first round at No. 28, between Mathurin (11) and Koloko (49), while NBA analyst John Hollinger wrote in the Athletic just before the Combine that Terry was No. 18 in his ranking of the 20 draft prospects.
Terry averaged only 8.0 points per game for the Wildcats last season, but was a constant triple-double threat with his passing and rebounding ability. He averaged 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game with nearly a 3-to-1 assist-turnover ratio while becoming an honorable mention all-Pac-12 pick.
Long at 6-6 and with a 7-foot wingspan, Terry was an effective rebounder from the wing. He pulled down 31 rebounds over a four-game stretch in early February, collecting 12 in UAβs 72-60 win at Washington State on Feb. 10.
βWe call him Mr. Do-Everything,β Mathurin said after the WSU game. βGetting rebounds, scoring and making passes. Itβs good for the team. A really good thing to see.β
At Arizona, Terry played all three perimeter positions, guarding bigger forwards if necessary and helping the Wildcats at point guard, especially after a severe ankle sidelined point guard Kerr Kriisa in a Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal game against Stanford.
Justin Kier took over as the starting point guard during the Wildcatsβ next three games, but in the Pac-12 title game against UCLA, Kier and Larsson both picked up three first-half fouls. Terry responded with four assists and no turnovers, helping UA win the Pac-12 Tournament title with an 84-76 win over the Bruins.
βDT JUST TOOK MY JOB,β Kriisa tweeted afterward.
Terryβs infectious energy also benefited the Wildcats. He grew up a Wildcat fan in Phoenix, playing for both Tempe Corona Del Sol and Phoenix Hillcrest Prep.
βD.T. loves hooping,β UA coach Tommy Lloyd said in February. βI think heβs happy being out on the floor and he plays with amazing effort and energy. When you play with that kind of effort and energy consistently, good things are gonna happen.β
That same personality was on display this spring before NBA executives during team interviews.
βTerry is quickly emerging as a potential top-20 pick now that teams have had the opportunity to sit down with the charismatic, high-energy 19-year-old to learn more about him,β ESPNβs Mike Schmitz wrote. βLeague executives we spoke with consistently raved about Terryβs interviews, citing his competitiveness, feel for the game and engaging personality.β
Without Terry on the perimeter next season, the Wildcats will likely rely heavily on Kriisa, rising junior Pelle Larsson and French sophomore wing Adama Bal, who made a minor splash in several late-season appearances late last season.
Arizona also received a commitment from 6-8 Serbian wing Filip Borovicanin in April and is still recruiting several potential transfers, with more opportunity to offer Ramey and Brooks in particular after Terryβs departure.
However, also on Tuesday, the Wildcats lost out on a potential frontcourt prospect when highly regarded Canadian big man Leonard Miller announced he would either stay in the NBA Draft or sign with the G League Ignite developmental program. Miller had been considering both Arizona and Kentucky if he chose the college route.
