76ers officially sign Dario Saric
Croatian forward Dario Saric is officially a member of the Philadelphia 76ers after signing his contract with the organization on Friday, the team announced.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"We are thrilled to finally announce the highly-anticipated signing of Dario Saric to an NBA player contract with the Philadelphia 76ers,” Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo said in the team's statement. "Our basketball team stands to benefit from both the on-court development and physical maturation of Dario as a professional player in Croatia and Turkey over the last few years."
It was originally reported by CSN Philly's Jessica Camerato that Saric was going to sign on the dotted line at the end of the week.
The 22-year-old was selected 12th overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic, who then shipped him off to Philadelphia for point guard Elfrid Payton.
He was recently named Most Valuable Player for the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Turin, Italy, after leading Croatia to a win in the final stage over the home team, averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.2 assists during the competition.
In 24 appearances last season for Anadolu Efes, Saric averaged 11.7 points on 50 percent shooting, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 22.5 minutes per game.
He now joins a crowded Sixers frontcourt which includes Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and a returning Joel Embiid, although Colangelo is currently working towards moving one of the three in a trade to help strengthen another area on the team.