The Oklahoma City Thunder will enjoy a rather quiet offseason this summer because most of their young roster is still on their rookie deals.
There are a few exceptions and some moves need to be addressed. One is the future of Dario Saric.
Saric was acquired by the Thunder from the Phoenix Suns at the trade deadline in February. The Suns acquired Darius Bazley in return in a cost-cutting move. The trade was more about the Thunder acquiring the second-round pick that came with Saric.
Initially an afterthought of the deal and a potential buyout candidate, Saric quickly played his way into the rotation and was solid wing depth in his two months with the Thunder.
In 20 games with the Thunder, Saric averaged 7.4 points on 51.5% shooting and 3.3 rebounds. From 3, he shot 39.1% on 2.3 attempts. He essentially filled the role Mike Muscala vacated when he was traded to the Boston Celtics at the deadline.
The 29-year-old will enter unrestricted free agency this summer, but when asked during his exit interview if he’d like to stay in OKC, Saric sounded like someone who’d love to extend his stay.
“I really like it — to be part of this group,” Saric said. “I really like it. It’s about (the) situation, how it’s going to be in July, draft picks, other players. It’s really hard. It’s nothing in my control. But what I witness here is like I really like it. I would like to be back.”
Saric then said that while he’d like to re-sign with the Thunder, it’s also about what the best individual business move for himself would be. The Thunder could easily sign Saric to a deal; the bigger hurdle of bringing him back for another season might be OKC needing his roster spot for its draft class.
If the Thunder adds multiple rookies to their roster, they’ll need to create space. Not bringing Saric back is one of the easiest ways to do that.
