Nick Piccone
We’ve been tracking Dario Saric in Europe ever since the Sixers acquired his rights from the Orlando Magic. When would he come to play for the Sixers? Would he come to play for the Sixers? Would he hold out because the Sixers are not a good team?
All very good questions. Multiple reports over the last few months have suggested not only the Sixers’ desire to get him over here as soon as they can, but he’d apparently been telling teammates he was coming over here for the next NBA season, and his father even seemed to suggest that as well. So everything looked pretty good in regards to him coming over to play for the Sixers next season, right?
Weeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll, not so fast. Sixers president of basketball operations and general manager Bryan Colangelo told NBA.com that the timing of Saric coming over to the States was still in question. The Inquirer‘s Keith Pompey provided these quotes from Colangelo, who’s currently in Italy at the adidas Eurocamp:
The timing of him coming to the NBA is still in question,” Colangelo told NBA.com Friday while in Treviso, Italy at the adidas Eurocamp. “I believe there’s a desire on both sides to make it happen sooner rather than later. But at the same time, the contract scenario, economics, etc. all plays a part in that decision making. We’ll know soon enough whether it’s going to happen for this particular season. That’s our goal and our desire. I think in the next few weeks we’ll have more clarity.”
…
“I don’t think I’m optimistic or pessimistic,” Colangelo told NBA.com of his sense if Saric will come over next season. “I think I’m just neutral right now. I do [have a gut feeling) but I’m not sure I want to reveal it. I’m hopeful we can get it done.
“It would be helpful to the organization and I think it would actually be helpful to Dario to kind of get off on the right foot in the league.”
That last line kind of makes me think Colangelo would obviously prefer Saric to come over next season, and based on everything Saric and his father has said, it would seem like that’d be the likely scenario. Maybe they didn’t know about that rookie pay scale that Saric could cash in for even more money next season, and once they were privy to that, maaaaaybe they’re more comfortable waiting another year until heading over to Philly.
Then again, maybe it doesn’t matter. It seemed like a slam dunk earlier this year from Saric himself. Now Colangelo is saying the contract scenario and economics playing a part in the decision making is what’s making this not so much a slam dunk anymore.
Or maybe Saric just misses Sam Hinkie.