By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The transition from being traded to the Detroit Pistons to landing on the waivers list has paved the way for Dario Saric to become an unrestricted free agent in the NBA. Specifically, he will become a free agent if his contract remains unclaimed over the next couple of days, following the official confirmation of his departure from the Pistons upon several insider reports on Sunday.
Last Sunday, the 31-year-old Croatian forward/center was initially traded to the Chicago Bulls but was rerouted to the Pistons on Tuesday. During the offseason, he was involved in a high-profile trade of European big men, moving from the Denver Nuggets to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas. This move followed a well-documented bid by Panathinaikos Aktor to secure the Lithuanian center’s services.
Saric is a veteran of 524 NBA games. However, he has been limited to only five appearances during the 2025-26 regular season with the Kings, averaging 1.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per contest. This followed a 2024-25 campaign in which he made only 16 appearances, including four starts, with the Nuggets. Although he signed a two-year contract as an unrestricted free agent in 2024, the majority of his $10,594,400 salary has already been paid by the Nuggets and Kings.
Selected 12th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic as a promising European prospect, the Sibenik native played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder between 2016 and 2024, before his recent decline in minutes. From 2014 to 2016, he suited up for Anadolu Efes in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, following stints in his home country of Croatia, where he began his professional career in 2009 at the age of 15.
With EuroLeague participants permitted to register new players, provided they have no previous commitments to other Euroleague Basketball teams this season, until February 25, the regular with the senior national team of Croatia in Saric naturally emerges as a candidate to reinforce any side seeking a late-season boost in the paint.