<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ivica-zubac-dario-saric-involved-in-brawl-after-olympic-qualifying-loss-to-greece');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ivica Zubac, Dario Saric involved in brawl after Olympic Qualifying loss to Greece');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/%F0%9F%9A%A8%F0%9F%9A%A8%F0%9F%9A%A8-Ivica-Zubac-Dario-Saric-involved-in-brawl-after-Olympic-Qualifying-loss-to-Greece.jpg"></figure><h1>Ivica Zubac, Dario Saric involved in brawl after Olympic Qualifying loss to Greece</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-08T13:18:44-07:00">July 8th, 1:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-08T15:51:15-07:00">July 8th, 3:51pm</time><address><a>Christopher Smith</a>Christopher Smith is an associate editor covering a variety of sports with a beat focus on the Chicago Sky for ClutchPoints. The Aurora, Illinois native earned a degree in philosophy from Creighton University, where he also competed as a Division 1 Cross Country runner.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Team Croatia has faced an uphill battle before <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/duke-basketball-news-star-cooper-flaggs-humbled-take-amid-team-usa-select-appearance">the 2024 Olympics</a>. Veteran NBA players and Croatia national basketball team members Ivica Zubac and Dario Saric played against Greece in a qualifying game on Sunday. Croatia lost, but an incident after the game is making headlines.</p><p>Ivica Zubac and Dario Saric were reportedly involved in <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/07/08/nba-players-ivica-zubac-dario-saric-nightclub-brawl-fight-greece-croatia-basketballl-team/" rel="noopener">an intense physical altercation</a> at a nightclub near Athens early Monday morning, per TMZ Sports. A video shows Zubac in a scrap with someone as several other men rush up to him to break up the fight.</p><p>Meanwhile, Saric ran into the crowd to try to help Zubac. But he ended up on the receiving end of a chokehold by another unidentified man.</p><p>Eventually, security members gained control of the altercation and got both players out of the area. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.</p><p>Zubac and Saric came off an 80-69 qualifying tournament loss to the Greece national basketball team, which ended Team Croatia’s hopes of making the 2024 Olympics. Zubac scored 19 points in the matchup, while Saric contributed 14.</p><p>Both frontcourt players are coming off impressive stints with their NBA teams. Ivica Zubac helped the Los Angeles Clippers go 51-31 during the 2023-24 season, which placed them fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.</p><p>The 7-foot center averaged a career-high 11.7 points, along with 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clipper-news-ivica-zubac-reacts-to-paul-george-leaving-for-sixers">Zubac’s teammate since 2019</a>, Paul George, left the Clippers during the NBA Free Agency period. Zubac looks to carry more of a load in 2024-25.</p><p>On the other hand, Dario Saric is coming off a one-year stint with the Golden State Warriors with averages of 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and a 37.6 percent 3-point shooting clip. Saric is fresh off signing a two-year free agency deal with the Denver Nuggets.</p><h2><b>Ivica Zubac, Dario Saric prepare for 2024-25 season</b></h2><p>Zubac and Saric’s Team Croatia squad may be eliminated from the Olympics. Yet, their loss is a blessing in disguise. Both players can focus on preparing for the 2024-25 season with their respective teams. </p><p>As mentioned, Zubac’s Clippers are trying to fill the void in Paul George’s absence. The star forward left Los Angeles to join Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Zubac gave George great respect amid his teammates’ summer departure.</p><p>“That’s a great friend,” Zubac told George Efkarpides of Amerikanos24 in early July. “We played together for five seasons. It’s definitely tough seeing him leave. He was a big piece. It’s gonna be hard to replicate for us.</p><p>“He did so much, but there’s a business side [to basketball]. Unfortunately, that was the best decision for him. We’re gonna miss him a lot, but we signed some new guys. We got to work with what we have already, and I’m sure we’re gonna have a great season.”</p><p>The Clippers are losing a big piece but still look to remain competitive with the talent they retain.</p><p>On the other side of the Western Conference, Dario Saric joins a highly touted Nuggets team. Saric will play with three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and try to help Denver win their second franchise championship.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ivica Zubac, Dario Saric involved in brawl after Olympic Qualifying loss to Greece

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-kevon-looney-dario-saric-emotional-dejan-milojevic-passing');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors: Kevon Looney, Dario Saric get emotional on Dejan Milojevic’s passing amid return to Utah');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Kevon_Looney_Dario_Saric_get_emotional_on_Dejan_Milojevic_s_passing_amid_return_to_Utah.webp"></figure><h1>Warriors: Kevon Looney, Dario Saric get emotional on Dejan Milojevic’s passing amid return to Utah</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-12T11:41:22-08:00">February 12th, 11:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-12T11:42:06-08:00">February 12th, 11:42am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Just about one month ago, the Golden State Warriors were on the road preparing to face the Utah Jazz. The night before this game, they held a team dinner at Valter’s Osteria restaurant in Salt Lake City, which had become a staple for the organization when on the road in Utah. Tragedy then struck this franchise, as assistant coach Dejan Milojevic suffered a heart attack during the team meal, only to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-assistant-dejan-milojevic-tragically-passes-away" rel="noopener">pass away</a> the following morning. A beloved member of the Warriors, Milojevic’s sudden passing has continued to emotionally impact this team, none more than big men Dario Saric and Kevon Looney.</p><p>Every assistant coach always specializes in a particular group of players. For Milojevic, he worked with the Warriors’ frontcourt on a daily basis, developing close-knit relationships with both Saric and Looney. The memories made and time spent with the Serbian coach will never leave the minds of this organization, especially as they embark on a trip back to Salt Lake City for the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39509997/golden-state-warriors-vow-uphold-deki-milojevic-legacy" rel="noopener">first time</a> since they lost one of their own.</p><p>“[He taught me] a different mentality,” Looney said in regards to Milojevic’s death, via ESPN. “Not settling for being average, but being elite, being great at something. I had the best two years of my career playing under his coaching and getting advice from him.”</p><p>Milojevic joined the Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr’s staff ahead of the 2021-22 season. Immediately helping Looney with his overall game, it truly isn’t hard to call the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons the best of his career. With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-kevon-looneys-heartfelt-remembrance-of-coach-teacher-brother-dejan-milojevic" rel="noopener">Milojevic’s guidance</a>, the Warriors big man averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and field goal percentage in the assistant’s first season with the club. Looney topped these career-high averages the following year, en route to his third championship with Golden State.</p><p>For Saric, his relationship with the Warriors’ assistant ran a lot deeper than basketball. Much like how Milojevic had to earn his stripes in Europe and the EuroLeague before heading to the NBA, Saric also had to prove his worth on the court overseas before being drafted in 2016. With the Warriors, the 29-year-old has had a resurgence in his career. Milojevic certainly played a role in Saric finding the success he has this season.</p><p>“I lost a really good friend. I lost a coach who was really there for me, who knows what to tell me at the right moment, who knows my culture, who really knows what’s going on in my mind,” Saric stated. “I miss him a lot, from a friend standpoint, and for basketball, he was a really good mentor.”</p><p>Golden State will play the Jazz on Monday night, a game in which Kerr and assistant coaches Chris DeMarco and Ron Adams will miss due to being overseas for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-miss-jazz-game-attend-dejan-milojevic-funeral" rel="noopener">Milojevic’s funeral in Serbia</a>. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and basketball operations consultant Zaza Pachulia also made the trip to Belgrade to be there for Milojevic’s family. Lead assistant Kenny Atkinson will serve as the head coach against the Jazz on Monday.</p><p>The entire trip going back to Salt Lake City carries an eerie feeling for the Warriors. Although going up against the Jazz is an important game for this group, especially given that they find themselves on a four-game win streak and looking to get back in the playoff picture, traveling to Utah without Milojevic means more on an emotional level.</p><p>“It’s going to be tough to walk back to those [hotel] rooms, remembering those feelings — the roller coaster going on in that moment in our minds and hearts,” Saric told ESPN. “It’s going to be tough for all of us, especially those of us who were at the dinner.”</p><p>A win over the Jazz on Monday night would mean more than moving to 26-25 on the season, which would be the first time the Warriors would be above .500 since December 23. It would be symbolic of the joy and passion Milojevic had for everyone he ran into during his basketball journey. A win on Monday would be a win for Deki.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors: Kevon Looney, Dario Saric get emotional on Dejan Milojevic’s passing amid return to Utah

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-tough-dario-saric-health-update-road-trip');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors get tough Dario Saric health update to start road trip');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Warriors_news_Golden_State_gets_tough_Dario_Saric_health_update_to_start_road_trip_copy.webp"></figure><h1>Warriors get tough Dario Saric health update to start road trip</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-01T17:00:38-08:00">February 1st, 5:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-01T17:09:30-08:00">February 1st, 5:09pm</time><address><a>Nick Meyer</a>Nick Meyer is a sports writer for ClutchPoints based in the Metro Detroit area. He has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the NFL, UFC, and College Football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors defeated Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, recapturing some of the team’s magic from its glory days.</p><p>Recently Coach Steve <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-breaks-silence-andrew-wiggins-trade-rumors-deadline-looms" rel="noopener">Kerr broke the silence</a> on Andrew Wiggins trade rumors prior to the deadline. He also shot down trade rumors about some of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-steve-kerr-shoots-down-chris-paul-gary-payton-ii-trade-speculation" rel="noopener">the Warriors’ most popular players</a>.</p><p>Golden State is scheduled to head east for road games against the Grizzlies, Hawks, Nets and others starting tomorrow night.</p><p>Prior to the bonanza of road tests, the Warriors got an update on center Dario Saric’s health status.</p><h2><b>Saric Listed as ‘Out’ With an Illness </b></h2><p>The Warriors’ official <a href="http://wp.clutchpoints.com/Users/NickM/Downloads/Injury-Report_2024-02-01_06PM.pdf" rel="noopener">injury report</a> listed the Croatian big man as out with an ‘injury/illness.’</p><p>Saric’s status was confirmed on ESPN.com as he was <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3032978/dario-saric">listed as ‘out’</a> with no word on whether or not he would play against the Grizzlies on Friday.</p><p>Saric has been the Warriors’ iron man this season, playing in all 44 of the team’s games thus far.</p><h2><b>Saric’s Value to Warriors Team </b></h2><p>Saric provides an outside shooting threat that has been especially valuable to Golden State this season.</p><p>He is averaging 10.2 points per game and shooting just over 48 percent from the field.</p><p>He also is making 1.5 out of 3.8 three-point attempts per game for a solid 41.2% three point shooting percentage this season.</p><p>Saric isn’t the classic Warriors big man in the mold of Andrew Bogut who will hold things down in the post and on the board while blocking lots of shots (he has a 0.2 BLK average this season).</p><p>What he does provide is a shooter who can get hot and shoot opposing teams out of the game when he starts feeling it.</p><p>If he can’t go on this road trip, the Warriors will certainly notice his absence.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors get tough Dario Saric health update to start road trip

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-very-open-to-dario-saric-deal-at-trade-deadline');   ga('set', 'title', 'Sources: Warriors ‘very open’ to Dario Saric deal at trade deadline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/sources-warriors-very-open-to-dario-saric-deal-at-trade-deadline.webp"></figure><h1>Sources: Warriors ‘very open’ to Dario Saric deal at trade deadline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-23T20:25:42-08:00">January 23rd, 8:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-23T20:32:02-08:00">January 23rd, 8:32pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA Trade Deadline is just a few weeks away and league sources have indicated the Golden State Warriors would be open to moving Dario Saric before February 8th. Moving Saric’s $2.7 million contract for luxury tax savings and a few future assets would be a sign of the Warriors readjusting expectations for this season while hoping to extend a championship window around Steph Curry’s remaining years.</p><p>The 29-year-old big man is on one of the league’s most team-friendly deals and his approximately $2 million contract expires this summer. The 6’10” Croatian’s ability to space the floor, keep offense flowing and fight hard on the glass would be a welcome addition to any title-contending team. Saric is averaging 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in just over 20 minutes per game.</p><p>The Warriors are currently 12th in the Western Conference, two games back of the final spot in the play-in tournament. A Saric deal potentially saves Golden State millions on the luxury tax bill as well. Do not discount those dollars when looking for a team willing to sell at the deadline. If the Warriors are not in a position to win a postseason game, they will have plenty of reasons to sell their stake in Saric. The next three years matter far more than the next three months, as one league source stressed.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-warriors-andrew-wiggins-trade-value-gets-nba-insider-reality-check">Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins</a> are also <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/nba-trade-rumors-deadline-agendas-for-all-30-teams">reportedly on the trade block</a>, but neither would bring back much draft capital. Kuminga is still a work in progress and Wiggins is owed approximately $85 million over the next three seasons. Per one source, the expected return for Saric is draft assets and perhaps a cheap minimum-level player with an extra year of team control on the contract. The source said the financial implications cannot be understated, but the team does intend to maximize Curry’s chances at a sixth NBA title.</p><h2><b>Dario Saric isn’t long for Golden State regardless of trade deadline</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Warriors-news-Dario-Saric-agrees-to-X-year-Y-million-contract-with-Golden-State-in-2023-NBA-free-agency-1.jpg"></figure><p>Saric has been a rare bright spot in Golden State this season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-reasons-warriors-hit-the-jackpot-with-dario-saric-signing" rel="noopener">far out-playing the minimum contract</a> he signed with the team in free agency. Lauding the veteran big man’s impact earlier this season amid Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension, Warriors coach Steve Kerr readily admitted Saric would be due a sizable raise in free agency this summer, alluding to realities of his team’s financial constraints both now and going forward.</p><p>Golden State will only have non-Bird Rights on Saric if he’s retained into the offseason, limited to offering him a salary up to 120% of his earnings this season because the team is over the salary cap. Like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-reason-donte-divincenzos-anticipated-success-with-warriors-will-make-him-a-one-year-rental" rel="noopener">Donte DiVincenzo before him</a>, Saric was always bound to be a one-season rental for the cash-strapped Warriors, getting back on the open market after rehabbing his value while helping a contender.</p><p>The Dubs haven’t lived up to those expectations, obviously, but don’t blame Saric. He’s been everything and more Golden State could realistically expect from a reserve big playing on a minimum contract, shooting a career-best 39.1% from deep on career-high volume while functioning as a screening and dribble hand-off hub in Kerr’s motion-heavy offense. Saric has been an opportunistic, crafty driver, too, regularly beating surprised opposing bigs off the bounce, and consistently thrown his weight around on the offensive glass.</p><p>Defense remains an issue for Saric, who’s stuck between positions on that side of the ball. He lacks the length and lift to be an effective rim deterrent, but isn’t close to quick enough laterally to keep up with most forwards let alone switch onto dynamic guards without getting roasted. While Saric would certainly be an offensive upgrade off the bench for many contenders, it’s clear by now he needs to be protected defensively.</p><p>A willingness to move Saric suggests Golden State knows it’s not going anywhere meaningful in 2023-24, content to re-shuffle the deck around Curry this summer rather than go for broke at the trade deadline. The recent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-trayce-jackson-davis-potential-full-display-thanks-feat-stephen-curry" rel="noopener">emergence of athletic yet undersized rookie big man Trayce Jackson-Davis</a> makes Saric more expendable for the Warriors, and shipping him out for luxury tax savings and low draft compensation would also open up additional playing time for Kuminga in the frontcourt.</p><p>Keep your ear to the ground for Saric rumors leading up to February 8th. He wouldn’t only be a valuable third or fourth big man for a contender, but a Saric trade would also go a long way toward informing the rest of the league about the Warriors’ plans to sell or mostly stand pat as the trade deadline dawns.</p><p><i>ClutchPoints’ Warriors beat writer Jack Winter contributed to this report.</i></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Sources: Warriors ‘very open’ to Dario Saric deal at trade deadline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-benching-kevon-looney-for-dario-saric-shines-light-on-big-mans-early-struggles');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors benching Kevon Looney for Dario Saric shines light on big man’s early struggles');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Warriors-benching-Kevon-Looney-for-Dario-Saric-shines-light-on-big-man_s-early-struggles-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors benching Kevon Looney for Dario Saric shines light on big man’s early struggles</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-12-02T14:51:19-08:00">December 2nd, 2:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-12-02T16:17:27-08:00">December 2nd, 4:17pm</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a>Jack Winter is a veteran NBA writer and editor based on the West Coast. He currently lives in Oakland, covering the last legs of the Golden State Warriors' dynasty.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Steve Kerr’s decision to bench Kevon Looney for the <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1731050510311104636" rel="noopener">second leg of his team’s home-and-away</a> with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday wasn’t exactly hard to see coming. Looney got the so-called “Keith Bogans” in the second half of the Golden State Warriors’ impressive win over LA on Thursday, playing a three-minute stint to open the third quarter before quickly being yanked and watching the rest of the game from the bench.</p><p>Making that development especially damning is that the Dubs needed all the reliable two-way contributions they could get to hold off the Clippers at Chase Center. Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul and Gary Payton II missed that game just like they’re out in Los Angeles for the rematch, leaving golden opportunities for teammates to pick up their slack and make a good impression on Kerr and the coaching staff with the Warriors’ rotation still in flux.</p><p>Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Dario Saric—opening in Looney’s place on Saturday—certainly made the most of them, spearheading a dominant bench effort that Kerr called the “story” of what might be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-bounce-back-with-impressive-win-over-clippers-on-special-night-for-big-3" rel="noopener">Golden State’s best win of the season</a> so far. Impactful as Saric was offensively Thursday night, though, his far superior utility on that end compared to Looney’s was just further confirmation of what’s been known since he signed with the Dubs in July. Golden State has admitted as much multiple times already this season, too.</p><p>Saturday’s isn’t the first game Looney has come off the bench in 2023-24. Saric opened back-to-back games in place of Looney against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder in mid-November, the coaching staff’s acknowledgement of just how tough it is to play Looney next to another nonshooter or questionable one up front, especially with Stephen Curry sidelined.</p><p>While Looney’s utter lack of offensive dynamism is hardly new, it’s reached a nadir over the first several weeks of the regular season. But the bigger problem is that rippling ineffectiveness has been accompanied by a decline on the other side of the ball, where Looney’s positioning, rebounding and air-tight switching once compensated plenty for his offensive deficiencies.</p><h2><b>Kevon Looney’s early-season play is underrated problem for Warriors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Warriors_-Kevon-Looney-prepared-for-road-to-redemption-in-championship-pursuit.jpg"></figure><p>Widespread and sometimes <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-paul-pierce-slaps-klay-thompson-harsh-old-man-reality-amid-slow-start" rel="noopener">irrational hand-wringing</a> over the struggles of Klay Thompson and Wiggins has made it much easier to overlook Looney’s own personal labors early in 2023-24. A quick glance at his per-game numbers don’t suggest much of a dropoff, but digging just below that surface reveals what the film has laid bare since the season tipped off.</p><p>Looney is shooting 57 percent from the floor, down from 63.2 percent a year ago. His turnover rate has exploded to a career-high 16.4, an untenable figure for a center with notably low usage.</p><p>His raw rebounding rate has dipped a bit, a decline on the glass supported by Looney <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/rebounding?TeamID=1610612744&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=REB_CONTEST_PCT&amp;Season=2023-24" rel="noopener">grabbing fewer contested boards</a> than he did last season, per NBA.com/stats. Though opponents take fewer shots at the rim with him on the floor, they convert <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/10/onoff#tab-opponent_shooting_fg" rel="noopener">3.8 percent more of those attempts</a> than the Warriors’ average, according to Cleaning the Glass.</p><p>More basic lineup data, long an indication of Looney’s positive impact, isn’t kind to him, either. Golden State’s net rating is 7.0 points lower with him manning the middle, second-worst on the team behind Wiggins, per Cleaning the Glass.</p><p>Looney’s never been anywhere near an elite finisher, but took positive strides in that department last season. He’s regressed around the rim to a debilitating extent in 2023-24, not just missing bunnies but erasing advantages his teammates create by refusing to shoot.</p><p>Looney doesn’t even pretend to be interested in finishing on this first-quarter play from Thursday night, catching Moses Moody’s dump-off with his back literally turned to the basket.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>On the other hand, you can’t really blame him when so many of Looney’s even semi-contested shots near the restricted area end up in misses or worse.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>The Warriors could be far more tolerant of Looney’s downturn offensively if he was the same game-changing defender he’s been for the past two or three seasons. It’s not only his loss of lateral quickness and lift that have contributed to Looney’s lagging influence on defense, though. Sometimes he just hasn’t been attuned to the gameplan.</p><p>Looney acts as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s primary defender here specifically to switch a small-small ball screen featuring Isaiah Joe, a set that had already fooled the Dubs multiple times in the first quarter. Look at Corey Joseph’s immediate reaction as Joe pops to the arc and Looney sticks with Shai, not to mention his frustration after Oklahoma City’s sharpshooter splashes a triple.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Golden State won the title in 2022 in large part because Looney thrived as an isolation defender against star forwards and even some dynamic ball-handlers after switches. There was a case to be made as recently as early last season that he was one of the best switch defenders in basketball.</p><p>That’s just nowhere near arguable anymore, Looney regularly getting roasted off the bounce by even power-based scorers like Kawhi Leonard—exactly the type of matchup you’d hope he’d be able to handle.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Want a perfect distillation of Looney’s two-way struggles? Look no further than this damning sequence from Thursday’s win.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Looney will forever be a Warriors icon. He won’t get a statue outside Chase Center alongside Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green, but has been just as central to Golden State’s lasting success as every dynasty role player not named Andre Iguodala. The Dubs don’t win a fourth championship without him.</p><p>Barring a stunning reversion to his past norms as a finisher and switch defender, though, it’s time for them to reduce Looney’s minutes against most opponents and search for a long-term upgrade at center.</p><p>Another problem with Looney is that his offensive weaknesses are even more pronounced when not playing next to Curry and Thompson, who constantly draw two to the ball. If he’s moved to the bench full time without his minutes at least tied to Curry’s, the damaging effect Looney’s presence has on the offense will only be compounded further.</p><p>Looney is beloved in the locker room, by the coaching staff and among Dub Nation. His attitude won’t change no matter what happens to his on-court role. Looney’s salary is small enough that Golden State could keep him around if they upgrade via trade and don’t have to include him for financial purposes. His contract is only partially guaranteed for next season, too.</p><p>The Warriors need to make some tough decisions this season to keep their fading hopes of winning another title alive. Relying less on Looney isn’t the only one but should probably be Golden State’s first.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
3.4	3.5	1.1	-	0.6

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
3.4	3.5	1.1	-	0.6

Dario
Šarić

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Dario Šarić

Latest Dario Saric News

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Warriors benching Kevon Looney for Dario Saric shines light on big man’s early struggles

Dario
Šarić