Dario Saric

Timeline of Warriors' Saric contract agreement revealed

Share
NBC Universal, Inc.

Dario Šarić finally is a Warrior.

More than a week after NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole reported the 29-year-old joining Golden State was "likely," Šarić agreed to a one-year contract to become a Warrior on Saturday. 

But how did Šarić come to his decision?

Despite Šarić searching for a more lucrative deal, seeing how much Brook Lopez -- one of the more sought-after free-agent big men -- agreed to and how Damian Lillard's trade request shook the NBA, The Athletic's Anthony Slater reported that Golden State reached out to Šarić numerous times to see where his head was at.

"There were several phone calls pitching Šarić on the partnership, from the front office to [Warriors coach Steve] Kerr to their established veterans to assistant coach Dejan Milojević, who knows Šarić and will surely work closely with him," Slater wrote.

Despite reports of Šarić waiting to see how Lillard's trade request unfolded, the Warriors' phone calls worked as they secured a commitment from Šarić on a one-year contract for the veteran minimum Friday, per Slater. 

Acquiring Šarić was just what the Warriors needed: An unselfish big man with a penchant for hitting timely 3-pointers when necessary.

Golden State Warriors

Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.

Kerr confident it's a ‘matter of time' before Schröder's shots fall

Steph concedes teaming up with LeBron in NBA ‘probably' won't happen

Splitting time with the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2022-23 NBA season, Šarić hit a near-career high 39.1 percent of his 3-point attempts -- his career high was during the 2017-18 season, when he nailed 39.3 percent.

For his career, Šarić is a 36-percent shooter from beyond the arc and is an 83.8-percent free-throw shooter.

Šarić also has shown that he can be effective in limited minutes off the bench. After coming off the bench almost exclusively since the 2020-21 season, Šarić is averaging 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in just 15.7 minutes per game.

More importantly, he's been efficient on the floor, shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from 3-point land. Though he shoots under two free throws a game, he nails 84 percent of his attempts from the stripe.

RELATED: Why Saric projects as excellent Warriors fit in Kerr's system

With Golden State landing Šarić, it appears the Warriors got a player that will slide into their rotations almost seamlessly.

And with the Warriors having almost no room for error if they want to win an NBA championship this season, Šarić heading to the Bay Area perhaps is one of the better things fans can hear.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Contact Us