Forward Dario Saric Expresses Desire to Stay With Thunder, Might Not Be In Cards
In Saturday’s exit interviews, veteran forward, Dario Saric, whose contract expired this season, expressed his wish to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder going forward, stating, “I would like to be back.” He also spoke highly of the team, saying, “they really act like a team who’s matured to win games in the future.”
The former Sun was acquired by Oklahoma City back in February, at the trade deadline, along with Phoenix’s 2029 second-round pick and one million dollars in cash considerations. In exchange, the Thunder swapped former first round pick, Darius Bazley.
Afterwards, Saric would go on to aid in helping the Thunder, the youngest team in the NBA, reach the Play-In, averaging 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists while shooting 51.5% from the field and 39.1% from the 3-point line. Though he didn’t put up gaudy counting statistics, Saric did an admirable job coming off the bench and replacing Mike Muscala, who was also traded this past February, and his ability to stretch the floor and rebound.
The Thunder’s front office will have their work cut out for them if they want to keep the Croatian big man around thanks to owning three picks in the 2023 NBA Draft and having a roster that is almost already full up. A quick look at the franchise’s cap sheet reveals that they currently have 13 players, out of an allowable limit of 15, signed to the active roster for the 2023-2024 season. If the Thunder are wanting to bring in a pair of players through the draft, they will need to keep those roster spots open to accommodate their new rookies.
But, there are scenarios that could play out that would lead to the Thunder having room to bring back the 28-year-old veteran.
One way they might do that is by waiving Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who has a non-guaranteed contract for next season, and has underperformed in recent months after missing significant time due to a severe ankle injury. Another way to open room up is by making a consolidation trade that would likely see Presti cobbling together a mix of draft assets and young players to bring in a star player.
Who knows what might happen this offseason, though. One thing is certain however: the Thunder will look to improve upon an incredibly successful season. And Saric is one of the better front court pieces in Oklahoma City… for now.
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