<!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', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-dario-saric-5-4-million-contract-decision-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Dario Saric makes $5.4 million contract decision ahead of free agency');   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/2025/06/Saric-on-the-bench.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Dario Saric makes $5.4 million contract decision ahead of free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-22T10:16:44-07:00">June 22nd, 10:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-22T10:16:44-07:00">June 22nd, 10:16am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-makes-final-decision-player-contract-option">Denver Nuggets are currently</a> in the middle of what could be a highly important offseason for the future direction of the franchise. Denver is coming off of a seven-game playoff loss <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-how-nuggets-took-championship-level">to the eventual Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder</a> in the second round.</p><p>Recently, NBA insider Marc Stein took to his account on X, formerly Twitter, with <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1936830467832951289" rel="noopener">some contract news</a> regarding one of the Nuggets’ players who comes off of the bench.</p><p>“Denver’s Dario Šarić has activated his $5.4 million player option for next season,” reported Stein.</p><p>Stein also noted that “Saric had until June 29 to exercise or bypass the option.”</p><p>Dario Saric didn’t play a huge role for the Nuggets this season, especially during their playoff run this past spring under interem (and now full time) head coach David Adelman.</p><p>Still, him making his decision regarding his contract this early into the summer gives the Nuggets’ front office one less thing to occupy themselves with as the offseason continues.</p><h2><b>A big offseason for the Nuggets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Nikola-Jokic-looks-on-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Nuggets are currently looking for ways to maximize however many years Nikola Jokic has remaining as the undisputed best player in the world.</p><p>The last two offseasons, the Nuggets have seen significant departures, including both Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. While Christian Braun showed some signs of being a quality starting-caliber player this past season, most of Denver’s other young talent either stagnated or took a step back in 2024, which came back to bite the team during their playoff run.</p><p>The Nuggets shocked fans by firing head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with just days remaining in the regular season, signifying that a franchise that had hoisted a Larry O’Brien trophy just two years ago was now in considerable turmoil.</p><p>While Adelman and the players did an admirable job of weathering that storm, the Nuggets’ playoff loss still made it clear that the team is still at least one piece away from truly having a championship contender around Jokic.</p><p>The Nuggets will now set their sights on the NBA Draft, which is slated to begin on June 25.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Dario Saric makes $5.4 million contract decision ahead of free agency

<!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>

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

<!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-dario-saric-explains-why-dubs-are-best-team-for-his-offensive-style');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dario Saric explains why Warriors are the ‘best team’ for his offensive skill set');   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/2023/10/Warriors-news-Dario-Saric-explains-why-Dubs-are-_best-team_-for-his-offensive-style.jpg"></figure><h1>Dario Saric explains why Warriors are the ‘best team’ for his offensive skill set</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-10-11T18:33:04-07:00">October 11th, 6:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-10-11T18:33:04-07:00">October 11th, 6:33pm</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">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s no secret why the Golden State Warriors made Dario Saric such a high priority on the minimum-contract market in free agency this summer.</p><p>The veteran big man is one of the most skilled interior players in basketball, boasting the court sense of a guard with innate playmaking prowess and the ability to stretch the floor to the arc. Golden State lacked those attributes up front last season, absent a viable big off the bench who could throw the opposition an offensive curveball when Draymond Green or Kevon Looney were resting or played off the floor.</p><p>Saric, of course, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-reasons-warriors-hit-the-jackpot-with-dario-saric-signing" rel="noopener">fills that void completely</a>. While best utilized as a center at this point of his career, his skill with the ball will even allow the Warriors to play him at de facto power forward next to Looney in a pinch.</p><h2>Why Warriors are ‘best team’ for Dario Saric</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-2.jpg"></figure><p>After Wednesday’s practice, Steve Kerr called the Croatian star a “perfect fit” for Golden State’s offense. Saric, obviously, agrees with his new coach, calling the Warriors the “best team” for his skill set given their unique approach on that side of the ball.</p><p>“For me, obviously I played against the Golden State Warriors a couple times in my eight years in the league and I see how they play. Of course, they always run deep in the playoffs, so you got the time to kinda watch them and experience that,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1712246143961411960" rel="noopener">told ClutchPoints</a> on Wednesday. “Obviously during the summer I was watching some highlights, some games, how they play, and I think maybe this is the best team for me to fit in. What I think I’m doing right now, I think I’m doing great kind of trying to fit that. I really like that kind of basketball. When you have five guys who are dangerous in every moment to score the ball, it gets easier for other guys.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="und">Šarić shares why he was drawn to the Warriors in free agency <a href="https://t.co/98rAxPTOeR">pic.twitter.com/98rAxPTOeR</a></p><p>— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1712246143961411960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Playing without the ball and reading and reacting to teammates and defenses have been hallmarks of Saric’s game since he entered the league in 2016. His seamless integration to the Dubs’ offensive style was on full display during last weekend’s preseason opener, when Saric drained a pair of catch-and-shoot triples and doled out three assists in just over 14 minutes of play.</p><p>Don’t expect the 29-year-old to be quite that efficient with his production across the 82-game grind and into the playoffs this season. Given his natural acclimation to Golden State less than two since since training camp tipped off, though, Saric seems poised to impact winning with the revamped Warriors on a consistent, high-level basis regardless.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dario Saric explains why Warriors are the ‘best team’ for his offensive skill set

<!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-steve-kerr-dario-saric-cory-joseph-impacts');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Steve Kerr gets 100% real on potential impact of Dario Saric, Cory Joseph');   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/2023/07/Warriors-news-Steve-Kerr-gets-100_-real-on-potential-impact-of-Dario-Saric-Cory-Joseph.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Steve Kerr gets 100% real on potential impact of Dario Saric, Cory Joseph</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-22T18:03:19-07:00">July 22nd, 6:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-22T18:17:51-07:00">July 22nd, 6:17pm</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors are known for their star power. However, during their dynasty, they’ve leaned on valuable depth players as well. That won’t change during the 2023-24 season with the team adding players like Dario Saric and Cory Joseph to the roster. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/07/20/steve-kerr-shares-thoughts-on-mike-dunleavy-jr-s-offseason-chris-paul-and-personal-goals/" rel="noopener">recently commented</a> on Saric and Joseph’s potential impact on the team.</p><p>“We needed guys like Saric and Cory Joseph who have been through the NBA rigors and understand what it means to be a leader from the middle of the roster and how important that is,” Kerr said, per Shayna Rubin of <i>The Mercury News</i>. “Mike (Dunleavy) really recognized that was an area we needed help, so he went out without many resources and fortified our roster and put us in position moving forward.”</p><h2><b>Saric and Joseph’s impact on the Warriors</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-dario-saric-free-agency-1-year-contract-golden-state" rel="noopener">Signing Saric</a> gave the Warriors a reliable big man with veteran experience. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/what-cory-joseph-brings-to-warriors-as-stephen-currys-new-backup" rel="noopener">Joseph will also give</a> Golden State extra depth on the roster.</p><p>Saric, 29, played for the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2022-23 season. Overall, he averaged 6.4 points per game. For his career, he’s averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. Golden State hasn’t found stability in the post for the most part, so perhaps Saric can emerge as a key part of the roster in 2023-24.</p><p>On the other hand, Joseph, 31, is a steady guard who will serve as a backup for Stephen Curry. He may either play alongside Chris Paul or back up both CP3 and Curry, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-chris-paul-role-uncertainty-golden-state" rel="noopener">depending on if the Warriors</a> opt to start Paul or not. Joseph played for the Detroit Pistons last season and averaged 6.9 points and 3.5 assists per game. He’s averaged 7.1 points and 3.0 assists per contest for his career.</p><p>Both Joseph and Saric will play important roles for Golden State as the Warriors look to win yet another championship during the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Steve Kerr gets 100% real on potential impact of Dario Saric, Cory Joseph

<!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-mike-dunleavy-dario-saric-signing-post-help');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mike Dunleavy responds to Warriors’ big man concerns after Dario Saric move');   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/2023/07/dray-dario.jpeg"></figure><h1>Mike Dunleavy responds to Warriors’ big man concerns after Dario Saric move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-10T16:11:07-07:00">July 10th, 4:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-10T21:10:13-07:00">July 10th, 9:10pm</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors have been one of the most successful NBA franchises over the past decade. That said, Golden State has endured trouble in regards to finding a reliable big man. James Wiseman was expected to fill that void but the fit didn’t go according to plan. Kevon Looney performed fairly well, while Golden State <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-free-agency-4-year-100-million-contract" rel="noopener">brought Draymond Green back</a> and agreed <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-dario-saric-free-agency-1-year-contract-golden-state" rel="noopener">to a contract with Dario Saric</a>. Nevertheless, the Warriors are still facing questions in the post.</p><p>Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1678531278193455104" rel="noopener">recently commented</a> on Golden State’s current roster situation as it relates to post-player depth, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.</p><p>“If there’s like five open spots, and we fill three or four of them, yeah, I think we’re going to add somebody with some size,” Dunleavy told reporters. “We gotta be careful with the way we play… just bringing in somebody who is tall, you gotta be skilled. You gotta have feel, you gotta know how to play.”</p><h2><b>Dario Saric’s fit with the Warriors</b></h2><p>Dunleavy was also asked about Saric and his fit with the Warriors.</p><p>“We were a little thin in the frontcourt, especially going into free agency and not knowing with Draymond, ” Dunleavy admitted. “We got him locked up. And then, to get a guy like Dario, it’s hard for us to find bigs that fit right in our system… we want to add depth and versatility.”</p><p>Saric offers versatility as a 6’10 big man who can shoot and pass the ball at a respectable level. Based on the Warriors’ approach, one would imagine that he will fit what they are trying to do.</p><p>In the end, the Warriors will probably add one or two more centers. It remains to be seen whether or not they will sign/trade for a capable starting center. Draymond Green is a candidate to start at the five in a small-ball lineup. Golden State certainly has options heading into the 2023-24 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mike Dunleavy responds to Warriors’ big man concerns after Dario Saric move

<!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', '/3-reasons-warriors-hit-the-jackpot-with-dario-saric-signing');   ga('set', 'title', '3 reasons Warriors hit the jackpot with Dario Saric signing');   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/2023/07/3-reasons-Warriors-hit-the-jackpot-with-Dario-Saric-signing.jpg"></figure><h1>3 reasons Warriors hit the jackpot with Dario Saric signing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-08T14:49:50-07:00">July 8th, 2:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-08T17:28:44-07:00">July 8th, 5:28pm</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors’ wait is over. After two-plus weeks of rumors, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-dario-saric-free-agency-1-year-contract-golden-state" rel="noopener">Dario Saric has finally signed</a> with the Dubs. Here are three reasons why Golden State hit the jackpot by adding the Croatian star for the minimum.</p><h2><b>3. Frontcourt floor-spacing and playmaking</b></h2><p>Draymond Green is an elite passer from all over the floor and one of the most creative, effective screeners in NBA history. Kevon Looney stands a level below Green in both categories, but still counts among basketball’s top dribble hand-off artists and short-roll playmakers among traditional centers.</p><p>Though <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jonathan-kumingas-path-to-bigger-role-with-warriors-detailed-by-steve-kerr" rel="noopener">deficiencies in those finer concepts</a> of team offense helped keep him glued to the bench in the playoffs, Jonathan Kuminga’s explosive, versatile finishing and burgeoning comfort from deep are pivotal for the Dubs. Trayce Jackson-Davis blended the best attributes of his older teammates as a passer, screener and dive man at Indiana, but the NBA is a different beast than college, where he also attempted a grand total of three 3-point attempts across four seasons.</p><p>Golden State just didn’t have a reliable floor-spacer and playmaker up front before finally adding Saric, whose natural offensive talents make him a perfect fit for Steve Kerr’s offensive system.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Warriors will enter free agency armed with minimum contract offers. <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmstrongWinter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArmstrongWinter</a> takes a look at some top targets.<a href="https://t.co/6XoqHyBZkS">https://t.co/6XoqHyBZkS</a></p><p>— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/WarriorNationCP/status/1674758842838827009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Saric isn’t Nemanja Bjelica from deep, a true marksman capable of launching and splashing from multiple feet beyond the arc. But his 8.0 attempts from deep per 100 possessions last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder were almost a career-high, and comfortably more than Bjelica’s rate of 6.4 tries with the Dubs in 2021-22.</p><p>That number should bump up with Golden State, Saric taking advantage of mass attention paid to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson while opposing centers struggle to close-out to him in time to manage an effective contest. He also drained <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203967/shots-dash?SeasonType=Regular+Season&amp;Season=2017-18" rel="noopener">40.4% of his catch-and-shoot triples</a> a year ago, per NBA Stats, a personal best that aligns with Saric’s increased willingness to let fly when not absolutely wide open or in perfect flow of halfcourt offense.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>But it’s his playmaking ability that’s most exciting about Saric’s addition to the Warriors. He immediately becomes the Dubs’ fourth-best passer behind Paul, Green and Curry, with innate court sense and processing speed that allows him to exploit bent defenses with quick decisions.</p><p>Saric can pick out cutters and sealers from the high post, bust zones from the nail and work as a post-up hub for Golden State’s famed split actions.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>The Warriors’ second unit regularly lacked high-level passers last season beyond Green, especially before Gary Payton II returned at the trade deadline.</p><p>Saric won’t just open up the floor as a long-range shooter, creating more opportunities for Golden State to crease the paint with the dribble or pass, but also eat up that additional space as a playmaker, adding some much-needed variety and dynamism to the offense with or without Curry on the floor.</p><h2><b>2. Chemistry with Chris Paul</b></h2><p>Saric doesn’t provide his former Phoenix Suns running mate with the high-flying lob catcher that makes Paul most dangerous in pick-and-roll. His ability to space the floor at the five should create opportunities for Kuminga and perhaps Jackson-Davis to occupy that role, but hardly means Saric will be relegated to spotting up in the weak side when the Point God runs Golden State’s second unit with a healthy diet of ball screens.</p><p>Based on their time in the desert, there’s a good chance Saric is Paul’s most frequent partner in that two-man dance, and rightfully so. The Suns put up a <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/24/lineups?season=2020&amp;on=2857&amp;on=3239&amp;off=344&amp;off=4446#tab-four_factors" rel="noopener">116.1 offensive rating</a> with Saric and Paul playing together and Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton on the bench in 2020-21, ranking in the 75th percentile league-wide, per Cleaning the Glass.</p><p>The offensive staple of those Phoenix bench units? Ball screens involving Paul and Saric, actions that regularly allowed both veterans to overcome their physical limitations with nuanced skill and mind-meld understanding of timing, angles and defensive coverages.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>There was bright-eyed optimism coming into last season that Golden State’s young bench lineups could thrive by simplifying the offense to spam pick-and-rolls between Jordan Poole and James Wiseman. That never came close to happening, and both fixtures of the Warriors’ scrapped second timeline now find themselves playing elsewhere at least in part due to their failure to find a connection—one Paul and Saric built years before coming to San Francisco.</p><p>Expect the Dubs’ bench lineups to lean on it in 2023-24.</p><h2><b>1. Stylistic and lineup flexibility up front</b></h2><p>Saric transitioned to full-time center for the Thunder last season, his best position in an NBA vacuum as the game gets smaller and faster and he enters his 30s with a torn ACL in his recent past. But Golden State exists outside modern league archetypes, the singular presences of both Curry and Green permitting Kerr and the coaching staff to mix and match personnel surrounding them as specific in-game circumstances deem necessary.</p><p>Bringing in Saric as a reserve only extends that on-the-fly versatility and flexibility further. He shoots and passes well enough to play de facto power forward next to Green or Looney, and actually posted a higher rebound rate than the former last season, sparking optimism the Warriors could hold up on the glass with Saric playing next to Kuminga up front.</p><p>Saric is a below-average defender at this point of his career, absent the foot speed to chase shooters across the arc and overall size needed to regularly stymie basketball’s best post behemoths. He’s not a viable switch defender nor looming deterrent in drop coverage, either. But Saric fights hard and can be extremely physical, compensating for lackluster tools with effort and early positioning.</p><p>Bottom line: Saric gives this team potential answers on the interior it just didn’t have last season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-warriors-linked-to-2-intriguing-targets-in-free-agency" rel="noopener">Long as they waited</a> for him to put pen to paper, the Dubs couldn’t have done better signing a free agent big at the minimum.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons Warriors hit the jackpot with Dario Saric signing

<!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-dario-saric-free-agency-1-year-contract-golden-state');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dario Saric agrees to 1-year contract with Warriors in 2023 NBA free agency');   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/2023/07/Warriors-news-Dario-Saric-agrees-to-X-year-Y-million-contract-with-Golden-State-in-2023-NBA-free-agency-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Dario Saric agrees to 1-year contract with Warriors in 2023 NBA free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-08T05:14:26-07:00">July 8th, 5:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-08T08:58:20-07:00">July 8th, 8:58am</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">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the NBA free agency market winding down and teams beginning to fill out the remaining few spots on their rosters, the Golden State Warriors have gone ahead and added another key veteran. After signing Cory Joseph for depth and experience in their backcourt, the Warriors have done the same with Dario Saric, as<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1677642870793318405?s=20" rel="noopener"> he has agreed</a> to join Golden State on a one-year contract, first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski.</p><p>“Free agent F Dario Saric has agreed on a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, sources tell ESPN. Saric was one of the most sought-after players left on the market.”</p><p>Drafted 12th overall in 2014, Saric has spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and most recently, the Oklahoma City Thunder. A stretch big man who has proven to be able to play out on the perimeter as both a shooter and screener, Saric should immediately provide some much-needed support behind Kevon Looney on the Warriors’ depth chart.</p><p>However, he is not that great of an athlete, especially after suffering a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-dario-saric-done-for-nba-finals-suffering-torn-acl" rel="noopener">torn ACL</a> in his right knee during the 2021 NBA Finals when he was with the Suns. Working his way back from the injury last season, Saric played in a total of 57 games between Phoenix and Oklahoma City, averaging 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range.</p><h2><b>Dario Saric’s fit with Warriors’ future</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-2.jpg"></figure><p>The Warriors have undergone some massive changes this offseason as they look to maximize on their championship potential.</p><p>Not only has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-bob-myers-makes-bombshell-announcement-future" rel="noopener">Bob Myers left</a> the organization after being the architect behind all of their success through the years, but the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-wizards-jordan-poole-chris-paul-trade-grades" rel="noopener">Warriors traded Jordan Poole</a> in a package to land future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul from the Washington Wizards. Golden State has also seen Donte DiVincenzo and Ty Jerome leave this offseason, signing with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively.</p><p>Adding viable options in their frontcourt has always been a struggle for the Warriors and a key need for their franchise. Looney is one of the best rebounding big men in the entire league and Draymond Green is more than capable of being a “small-ball” center at times. However, having a player like Saric is very advantageous to the Warriors, especially since he has a high understanding for how to play his role.</p><p>This is only a short-term addition, but for years, Saric has been a consistent three-point shooter at the power forward and center positions. Jonas Jerebko and Nemanja Bjelica did not hold huge roles with the Warriors in their frontcourt through the years, yet they proved to be key factors when their number was called.</p><p>This is likely the role that Saric will look to fill right away as the Warriors look to capture their fifth title in the last ten seasons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dario Saric agrees to 1-year contract with Warriors in 2023 NBA free agency

<!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', '/nba-rumors-warriors-named-likely-landing-spot-for-dario-saric-but-there-catch');   ga('set', 'title', 'RUMOR: Warriors named likely landing spot for Dario Saric, but there’s a catch');   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/2023/07/NBA-rumors-Warriors-named-likely-landing-spot-for-Dario-Saric-but-there_s-a-catch.jpg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: Warriors named likely landing spot for Dario Saric, but there’s a catch</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-07T15:19:05-07:00">July 7th, 3:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-07T15:22:31-07:00">July 7th, 3:22pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dario Saric remains a free agent amid the lack of big-money interest in him. And if that continues, the Golden State Warriors could end up signing him.</p><p>According to the latest rumors, the reason both Saric and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-christian-wood-kobe-bryant-inspired-twitter-move-fuels-la-free-agency-signing" rel="noopener">fellow free agent Christian Wood</a> remain unsigned is because they have only generated interests for the league minimum. With that said, the <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/" rel="noopener">two continue to wait</a> in search for a better offer, per NBA insider Marc Stein.</p><p>If Saric is unable to find an offer that is higher than the minimum, the Warriors have been mentioned as his likely destination.</p><p>“Christian Wood and Dario Saric are among the standout names on the league’s list of available unrestricted free agents. The presumed delay: Both have only generated interest at the league minimum to this point and have naturally been holding out for more. Golden State remains the likely landing spot for Saric if he doesn’t find an offer above the minimum,” Stein wrote.</p><p>Dario Saric averaged 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 57 combined games with the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder. He also shot 45.8 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from deep. His career averages are 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 44/36/89 shooting splits.</p><p>Saric will certainly be a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-biggest-need-first-weekend-2023-nba-free-agency" rel="noopener">solid boost for the Warriors</a> if the team can get him for the minimum. They could really use some scoring help off the bench, and it’s nice that he can help space the floor for the Dubs.</p><p>For now, though, fans will have to wait and see if other offers will come to Saric’s way.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: Warriors named likely landing spot for Dario Saric, but there’s a catch

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Dario Saric leaves door open for possible return to 2022 NBA Playoffs');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Dario-Saric-reveals-the-only-way-he_ll-return-in-2022-NBA-Playoffs-from-torn-ACL.jpeg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Dario Saric leaves door open for possible return to 2022 NBA Playoffs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-04-14T17:51:49-07:00">April 14th, 5:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-04-14T17:51:49-07:00">April 14th, 5:51pm</time><address><a>Austin Turner</a>Austin Turner is the Phoenix Suns reporter for ClutchPoints. He graduated from San Jose State University in May 2020, where he was the Executive Editor of The Spear, a student-run sports outlet and covered the men's basketball team. He's since worked as a high school sports reporter and freelance journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In his first time speaking with the media in months, Phoenix Suns power forward Dario Saric opened the door ever so slightly on a potential return during the playoffs. Saric hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since game one of the NBA Finals in 2021, where he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnavtE17Fog">suffered a torn ACL in his right leg</a> in the first quarter.</p><p>“Right now, I’m feeling like I’m kind of like out for the season,” the Suns forward told reporters after practice Thursday. “But like, if something goes wrong and I’m like, in a good place? I don’t know.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dario Saric said at this point, he’s probably out for the season but wouldn’t completely shut the door on the possibility of a return if there are injuries and the Suns absolutely need him: <a href="https://t.co/e2CDOJ4C2M" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/e2CDOJ4C2M</a></p><p>— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1514706963703107591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 14, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Saric only <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/dario-saric-2021-playoff-stats">averaged 10.5 minutes per game in last year’s playoffs</a>, but he was effective in those limited rotations. He shot 44% from three and his 6-foot-10 frame was important for a team without a lot of big-man depth. The lack of size beyond Deandre Ayton was a point of emphasis for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-3-bold-predictions-for-first-round-of-2022-nba-playoffs-vs-bulls/">Milwaukee Bucks</a> in the finals. They frequently penetrated the paint throughout the series.</p><p>The Suns have addressed that need since with the acquisitions of <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/201580">Javale McGee</a> and <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/202687">Bismack Biyombo.</a> But the floor-stretching ability of Saric could still fill a niche those two can’t. While Saric doesn’t anticipate coming back, he doesn’t rule it out either. In an extreme scenario, he might consider it.</p><p>“I don’t know, if three players — three big guys — get injured and you need somebody and I’m feeling healthy, maybe it’s a different story,” Saric said.</p><p>He adds that he’s finally back on the court and feeling “like a basketball player,” but hasn’t quite worked his way up to contact play or anything beyond “one-on-zero.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Dario Saric leaves door open for possible return to 2022 NBA Playoffs

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'BREAKING: Suns’ Dario Saric done for NBA Finals after suffering torn ACL');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Dario-Saric-done-for-NBA-Finals-after-suffering-torn-ACL.jpg"></figure><h1>BREAKING: Suns’ Dario Saric done for NBA Finals after suffering torn ACL</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-07T11:43:04-07:00">July 7th, 11:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-07T12:04:06-07:00">July 7th, 12:04pm</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt has been an editor at ClutchPoints since 2018. He also covers the Bulls for Forbes and SB Nation's Blog a Bull. In addition, he co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network. If you couldn't tell, he's from Chicago.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/phoenix-suns">Phoenix Suns</a> backup big man Dario Saric is done for the 2021 NBA Finals after tearing his right ACL in Game 1, <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns/status/1412842484380565504" rel="noopener">the team announced Wednesday.</a></p><p>Saric played just two minutes in Tuesday’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-lebron-james-message-to-chris-paul-after-game-1-win-over-giannis-bucks/" rel="noopener">118-105 victory</a> over the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/milwaukee-bucks">Milwaukee Bucks</a> before suffering the injury in the first quarter. This is a tough blow for Phoenix’s bench and could mean we see more Frank Kaminsky, though he only played four minutes in Game 1 as Deandre Ayton played 39. But if Ayton gets in foul trouble, Kaminsky will likely see more action.</p><p>The 27-year-old played a key role off the bench for the Suns all season. Dario Saric can play both the 4 and 5, and he was primarily Ayton’s backup after playing power forward for most of his career before this season. He averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 44.7% from the field and 34.8% from 3-point range in 17.4 minutes per game.</p><p>Saric’s playing time predictably decreased in the playoffs with Ayton breaking out. In 14 playoff games, Saric averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game.</p><p>The Suns had been healthy coming into the NBA Finals and had been mostly healthy throughout the playoffs. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/chris-paul/a53c094a">Chris Paul</a> did deal with a shoulder injury early on and then COVID-19, while Devin Booker suffered a broken nose and initially had to wear a mask. However, Booker hasn’t missed any games and Paul only missed two after his positive COVID-19 test.</p><p>Phoenix can obviously withstand the loss of Dario Saric, but it’s a bummer for him that he won’t get to play on this big stage. He also could miss all or most of next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

BREAKING: Suns’ Dario Saric done for NBA Finals after suffering torn ACL

<!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', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ DeMarcus Cousins destroys Dario Saric with epic poster in Game 1 vs Suns');   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><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DeMarcus-Cousins-destroys-Dario-Saric-with-epic-poster-in-Game-1-vs-Suns.jpeg"></figure><h1>Clippers’ DeMarcus Cousins destroys Dario Saric with epic poster in Game 1 vs Suns</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-20T13:21:22-07:00">June 20th, 1:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-20T13:49:36-07:00">June 20th, 1:49pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers came out ready for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. At the start of the 2nd quarter, DeMarcus Cousins made an appearance and wasted no time making a difference with a ridiculous <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1406707119731011585">poster</a> of Dario Saric.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">DeMarcus Cousins caught a body 😤<a href="https://t.co/VRkrAaf4Rh" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/VRkrAaf4Rh</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1406707119731011585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Cousins just made easy work of Saric, who is no match for Boogie in any way, shape, or form. Despite him playing limited minutes in the playoffs, Clippers head coach Ty Lue rolled the dice and threw Cousins in and his difference is already being felt. Well, at least Saric feels it after falling hard to the deck.</p><p>Cousins played in just two games against the Utah Jazz for a total of just over 15 minutes but got his number called early and perhaps Lue is thinking about using him more during the series against the Suns.</p><p>The Clippers had an epic comeback in Game 6 and<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-paul-georges-immediate-reaction-to-terance-manns-shocking-game-6/"> shocked</a> everybody and now are trying to beat the Suns, who are without Chris Paul for the time being. The Clippers will need guys like Cousins, Rajon Rondo, and Luke Kennard to make a difference against a talented Suns team that defeated the Los Angeles Lakers and swept the Denver Nuggets to earn a berth in the Western Conference Finals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
1.7	1.7	0.7	-	-

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
1.7	1.7	0.7	-	-

Dario Šarić news

Dario
Šarić news