Philadelphia 76ers Dario Saric Update

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Dario Saric (Croatia) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twelve overall pick to the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Dario Saric will eventually arrive to the Philadelphia 76ers in the most unconventional of ways. But the timing couldn’t be better. 2016 will be a big year for the team.

In the realm of make believe, the Philadelphia 76ers certainly have one foot through that door. The team is struggling to find success today, but the belief is that the team will develop into a true champion. For the record, I share that belief.

One of the events that are integral in that metamorphosis is the arrival of international basketball star Dario Saric. He was drafted by the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA draft in the twelfth selection, but was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for the Sixers pick at ten, point guard Elfrid Payton. Since that time, Elfrid Payton has developed into the starting point guard for the Orlando Magic. His average of eleven points per game coupled with 5.9 assists per game would look good in a Sixers jersey right now.

So far, the Sixers have not seen a benefit to acquiring Saric. But there were other assets exchanged as well. The Sixers recovered a 2017 conditional first round pick previous dealt as part of the Dwight Howard deal, and the obtained a 2015 second round pick. With that pick, the Sixers drafted Guillermo Hernangomez and traded him to the New York Knicks for the Knicks second round draft picks in 2020 and 2021.