Nuggets reserve big man Dario Saric has picked up his $5.4MM player option for the 2025/26 season, sources inform Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
Saric was inked to a two-year, $10.6MM deal last summer via Denver’s taxpayer mid-level exception. He was a relative disappointment, and quickly fell out of the team’s rotation.
The 31-year-old played just 16 regular season contests, averaging 3.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.4 APG in 13.1 MPG. He was out of David Adelman‘s playoff lineups entirely. Instead, power forward Aaron Gordon was often used as a small-ball center to back up three-time MVP starting five Nikola Jokic in the postseason.
Saric’s deadline to make a decision on the contract was June 29. Denver’s new-look front office, led by interim general manager Ben Tenzer, presumably isn’t surprised that he opted to lock in the security of the deal, since he would’ve been unlikely to earn more than the veteran’s minimum in free agency this summer.
For his career, the 6’10” big man boasts averages of 10.4 PPG and 5.3 RPG, and is a 36% three-point shooter on 3.6 triple tries a night. He could have some intriguing upside to another team, if Denver can find a destination to reroute his salary this offseason, but he’ll have negative value on the trade market.
Can’t blame him. He isn’t getting that much anywhere else.
Go Dario! Get those $$$
Worker rights are a positive and maybe the rich wouldn’t exploit workers if they had NBA contracts.
5.4 million reasons to do so
This deal was bad the day before they signed it.
He never really got a chance to play. The Nuggets lineups were inconsistent all season long.
He hasn’t played much in recent years. He averaged double digits when he played and he makes his threes. Celtics?
He was terrible in the minutes he got, and he was an awkward fit within this team. The second unit struggled to space the floor, and Dario without space is horrendous.
I think he will get minutes thus year. Malone did not play him enough to get his rhythm going.
My bet is several Nuggets bench players will be better without Malone. Nnaji and Strawther too. Malone couldn’t X-and-O an offense to save his life, and just rode the Jokic train for a few years.
Always liked Dario. He wasn’t the same player after he got hurt ….. go get it player.
Cause nobody wants him.