76ers' Saric Hints at 2016 Debut: Decision Critical to Team Plan

The Philadelphia 76ers have a unique, yet terrifying, situation when it comes to Dario Saric and his bittersweet contract. Saric locked into a three-year deal with Anadolu Efes in the Turkish Basketball League before the 2014 NBA Draft per ESPN’s Chad Ford. Many believed Saric’s stock would waver as his questionable NBA status deemed him a volatile commodity.

Saric, right away, proved his allegiance to the Sixers and his quest to play in the NBA after being traded for:

"“I am not a liar. I told them I would be back,” Saric said per NJ.com’s Elliot Shorr-Parks. “I will play in Philadelphia.”"

Reported on Monday, Saric revved up the rumor mill once again expressing his desire to join the rebuilding Sixers after the 2015-16 season. Per probasketballtalk.com’s Dan Feldman, the Croatian spoke in Croatian and was then translated to English by Sportando’s O. Cauchi:

"“Next summer I will, probably, finally go where I want, to the biggest basketball league in the world, NBA,” Saric said. “It is imperative to do more next year with Efes and then it’s time for America. This year we tried something, but as as Efes asked me to stay and said that they remain as an important player, I was forced to stay on it. Finally, I see that it makes sense to stay and improve here.”"

The hesitancy regarding the comment of imperativeness to remain in Europe raises real red flags, but his legitimate interest in playing in the NBA is an obvious plus for Philadelphia. Convincing Saric to opt out of his contract overseas and play for the team during the 2016-17 season has multiple positives that play perfectly into the Sixers rebuilding timeline.

Cohesiveness with “The Big Three”

It’s the worst kept secret that everything in Philly flows through the frontcourt and will for the foreseeable future. Even last year, the Sixers featured Noel at the elbow and the high-post a plethora of times late in the season when the big man got more acclimated on offense. The Sixers were forced to heave triples out of necessity and ranked sixth in three-point attempts per game (26.3) last season.

With Noel progressing to be more than just a lethal rim protector and the addition of Jahlil Okafor to create a tandem of both lightning (Noel) and thunder (Okafor), paint touches will be a continuous entity for the Sixers.

With the slow burn of bringing Embiid into the fold, the upside of possible interior scorers is elite among rebuilding organizations in the NBA. Saric might not possess the ceiling of the trio, but what he’s flashed overseas as one of the top European players is promising and compliments a potential unit exquisitely.

Unless Richaun Holmes evolves into a rotational player for multiple seasons or Joel Embiid becomes a rare stretch-5 like he showcased in practices last season, Philadelphia doesn’t have that quintessential stretch-4. Robert Covington, in a small-ball lineup, slides over to the PF role and did so last season, but will seemingly play more minutes at the SF position due to the arrival of Okafor.

Saric is a natural in the role as he encapsulates the term “floor spacer” at 6’10” and 223 pounds. Highlighted in a recent article I wrote covering Saric, his efficiency from behind the arc continues to increase (32.9 percent last season). Making defenders honest from outside of the paint embodies opening up the offense. It detracts pests festering on the low block who’d latch on to either Noel or Okafor.

Saric would also bring over his skilled passing tools and give players around him easier looks as a big who can create for others. The ability to gel earlier plays into the rebuilding timeline. Coming into a foreign situation with guys already growing together is a less-than-ideal scenario for the Sixers. He’s young, they’re young, let’s get the boys together.

Cap Room

The primary chatter among Saric’s contractual obligations to his respective team is if he’s biding time to rid himself of the rookie scale and become open for a more lucrative contract.

If the Croatian makes the jump to the NBA in 2016, he’s binded by the 2014 NBA Draft status as the No. 12 pick. Per RealGM, if the Sixers picked up Saric’s option for the 2016-17 season, then he’d make a shade under $2 million.

If Philadelphia gave Saric a qualifying offer, he’d make 37.8 percent more in the 2017-18 season or just over $2.7 million. That’s a drastic discount for someone who gets compared to Nik Mirotic who was in a similar situation after making his debut last season.

Mirotic, who was selected with the No. 23 pick in the 2011 draft by Houston then later traded to Chicago, would have made just over $2.1 million if he joined the team for the 2011-12 season per RealGM. Chicago signed the Croatian to a 3 yr(s) / $16,631,175 deal in 2014.

He proved his worth emphatically last season giving the Bulls a punch off the bench averaging 10.2 points per game and boosting a second unit that finished just 23rd in the league in field goals made per hoopsstats.com.

The Sixers have literally enough cap room to sign whoever they want for multiple years. If they believe Saric is comparable enough to Mirotic and worth $5 million-plus for continuous seasons, the payment is worth the bite of the bullet. Philadelphia getting Saric at a premium would be a more ideal route in terms of flexibility and avoiding a contractual dispute.

Embodying Asset Appropriation

The Sixers are synonymous with the term “asset” and have plenty already fixated on the roster and for future use in the form of draft picks. Like anybody else on the roster, Saric is in a rare situation as he can be used an a vital member of the Sixers roster or part of a deal in the future.

If Nerlens Noel flawlessly transitions to the PF role full time this season and can flash evident gains to his offensive repertoire, it’s harder to envision Saric eventually starting in Philadelphia. He was deemed with a role player-esque ceiling in 2014, but has showcased why his upside is higher than originally anticipated.

Saric doesn’t ooze superstar-like qualities, but playing against the top competition in the world earlier, as opposed to later, would give teams a gauge on how well his skills translate from Euro ball.

His contract would be more appealing if he entered the NBA in 2016 rather than negotiating a more expensive one later. With the salary cap set to spike drastically, sub $3 million players who have been deemed Europe’s best young talent are evidently hard to find.

Saric would be a young, solid piece in a deal for a more established NBA player, but he brings plenty of skills to a team bereft of talented playmakers.

Next: 50 Greatest NBA Players Without a Championship

Philadelphia 76ers’ Dario Saric Hints at 2016 NBA Debut With a Decision Pivotal to the Rebuild

By Jake Hyman | Aug 25, 2015

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