Averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds over his career, Dario Saric would be a welcome addition to any team. After his contract with the Golden State Warriors was through, multiple clubs from the NBA and Europe were reportedly interested in the Croatian national. 

After much fanfare and speculation regarding his future, Dario Saric joined the Denver Nuggets in the summer of 2024. And he will probably get a lot of playing time off the bench as the Nuggets’ backup big man. So, that might leave you wondering, “Why did he choose Denver?” Let’s answer that question by breaking down his contract.

What is Dario Saric’s contract with the Denver Nuggets? 

Dario Saric joined the Nuggets as a free agent on a 2-year contract worth $10.59 million in an attempt to boost their title aspirations again. This includes a player option clause for the hoopster’s second year on the Denver side’s payroll. The average annual payout of his contract is $5,297,000 while carrying a cap hit of $5,168,000 and a dead cap value of $5,168,000. 

For the 2024/25 season, Dario Saric will take home $5,168,000 with the option to extend his deal into the following season. His current salary ranks him 245th on the list of the highest earners in the NBA, and he’s cashed out a total of $45.4 million as wages across his tenure in the USA! Given his versatility, reliability, and IQ, don’t you think the Denver Nuggets have gotten a bargain? 

Dario Saric is an NBA veteran with a proven track record. If you were wondering what he was doing before joining Denver, then look no further than this page!

Was Dario Saric traded from the Golden State Warriors? How long has he played in the NBA?

As clarified above, Saric joined the Nuggets as a free agent. This was after he ended his time with the Dubs. He joined GSW on a 1-year, $2.7 million contract, as a free agent too, in 2023. He averaged 8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists for them. However, this hoopster’s NBA career stretches far beyond the San Francisco team. An 8-year NBA veteran today, Dario Saric began his full-fledged stint in the league in 2016 when he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

In his time in the City of Brotherly Love, he averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists over 172 games. His ties with the Sixers ended when he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the winter of 2018.

At Minnesota, Saric picked up where he left off with the 76ers averaging 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 62 games. And he did all this while coming off the bench! Yes, in the 2018-19 season, the hoopster started a mere 28 games, limiting his presence and impact. Unhappy with his role as a backup, Saric left Minnesota for the Phoenix Suns in 2019, spending less than a year up North.

While playing for the Phoenix Suns, Dario Saric managed to hit a career-high of 17 rebounds, twice in fact. However, despite his best efforts, the hoopster would eventually lose his role as a starter to Cam Johnson. The Croatian averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in his time at Phoenix. Sadly, an ACL injury in the 2021/22 finals ruled out Saric for the entirety of the following season.

In February 2023, the Croatian big man was shipped to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Spending less than a season at Oklahoma, he then bid adieu before moving to the Dubs as a free agent.

Despite never regaining his status as a starter even after hopping teams, Dario Saric remains one of the most reliable players in the NBA. It would have been a travesty to not see him on our screens, playing against the best talent the NBA has to offer!