Although he’s still just 28 years old, Dario Saric suddenly finds himself in the position of being his team’s oldest player following a trade from Phoenix to Oklahoma City last Thursday. Saric, who referred to the Thunder as a “high-level organization,” doesn’t sound like someone who will pursue a buyout from his new club, suggesting on Monday that he’s looking forward to taking on the role of veteran mentor in OKC.
“You’re always surprised,” Saric said of the trade, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “That’s kind of how things go. At the end of the day, happy to be here. Happy to be part of this organization, a part of this group of young, talented guys who have a lot of years in front of them to play basketball.”
Asked about the role he anticipates playing with the Thunder, Saric said he doesn’t have any real expectations and is happy to play things by ear.
“I think I will go with the flow,” he said. “We’re gonna figure out everything, how the games go. I’m here open-minded, and coach (Mark Daigneault) says he’s open-minded.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is looking forward to seeing what Saric brings to the Thunder, but admitted it was tough to say goodbye to Darius Bazley and Mike Muscala at the trade deadline. Gilgeous-Alexander referred to the club’s locker room as “close-knit” and added that Bazley is “like a brother” to him. Daigneault, meanwhile, said he hopes Bazley and Muscala thrive with their new teams, Mussatto writes for The Oklahoman. “We want those guys to move on and continue to have success and contribute to the teams that they’re on,” the head coach said. “I think that would be a good reflection on the program.”
- Eugene Omoruyi‘s new contract with the Thunder is a two-year, minimum-salary deal that isn’t guaranteed beyond this season, Hoops Rumors has learned. Oklahoma City will hold a non-guaranteed $1,927,896 team option on Omoruyi for the 2023/24 season following his promotion from a two-way contract last week.
- As for Olivier Sarr‘s two-way deal, it only covers the rest of this season, Hoops Rumors has learned. Players who sign two-way contracts during the second half often agree to add a second year, but that’s not the case for Sarr, who will be eligible this summer for restricted free agency.
I hope the sixers grab Dario after this year on the minimum. He was always a good locker room guy and did a lot of little things well.
He should be able to garner more than the minimum this offseason. When he played he played reasonable well. I wish the Cavs would have been able to get him as a buyout guy but it looks like he’s staying with the Thunder.
Unfortunately I believe OKC dumped Bazley because they ultimately believe Saric can help them more, and Bazley is likely going to need to find work as a basketball player in a different league maybe. He should go to the Aussie’s NBL and play a ton of minutes, add some size & experience, come back to the NBA. He needs more time, and OKC is progressing too quickly.
“OKC is progressing too quickly”
Good stuff my man, your ready for the main stage
They traded Bazley for Saric because his vet presence, skill, & experience were too overwhelming? Love you quipping infantile critics… Really I do
They chose to step backwards, mostly with the Muscala deal but this deal wasn’t a move forward either
It’s bad Business and at the sake of what 2 more 2 nd rders ? Barf
Yet this team is a template for 2 k nation that can do no wrong ? Progressing ? To what ? Someday tho in 2032 this systems all gonna work out and you can come back and say told ya so
I didn’t expect them in the Play-in conversation, and figured Wembanyama is a decent target. That to me gave them every excuse to pull off a tank, yet have surprised. Jalen Williams, Giddey, and SGA have been fun this season, and OKC isn’t a boring game to watch.
Dort? Bazley, and Kenrich Williams are head scratchers, and Holmgren put a sour note on the season.
When you can tank & don’t, during a season when its being closely watched, there is something to admire there. Even if its small
Comical. Yeah, it would be a “good reflection on the program” … the only problem, coach, is your “program” is supposed to be a professional basketball team. What might reflect well on that would be bolstering your team for your playoff push, not helping other teams do it for theirs to improve your lottery chances and collect 2nd round picks.
I don’t even think the Thunder got any worse.
Despite their best efforts, maybe not, particularly in a relative sense. The two teams in front of them, UTH and POR, certainly appear to have shed much more net on-court value than they did. Though the one immediately behind them, the LAL, actually tried to improve. Anyway, I’m sure all 4 teams’ FO’s would like to see the LAL get that 10th spot. Thankfully, there’s no certain way to get the players fully on board with it, so it’s not quite the WWE yet.
I’m really less critical of the teams for pursuing losses, than the league for incentivizing it. Although hearing an NBA HC talk like he’s the head of a MLB team’s minor league system, or college program, did make me laugh a bit.
Sickening
Poor fans
Trading Bazley was the right move. He was going to be a Restricted FA at the end of the season and they weren’t going to pay him. So get something rather than nothing. He wasn’t good enough to get a 1st round pick in return.
Plus Bazley is just another defensive minded guy, he never improved offensively and doesn’t appear to ever improve in that category. He’s a perfect fit for a legit contender like the Suns to bring in off the bench to provide some defensive help after losing a DPOY candidate in Mikal Bridges