Philadelphia 76ers: Why Would Dario Saric Stay in Turkey?

Dario Saric has a huge option ahead of him: Come to America, or stay in Turkey? Here are reasons he would stay in Turkey.

As Bryan Colangelo and Brett Brown visit Dario Saric in Turkey to discuss the possibility that Saric comes over this season to join the Philadelphia 76ers, there’s a chance that Saric decides not to come over, and puts a roadblock in front of some of the Sixers’ plans. But why would he do this?

Saric has already informed his teammates that he will not be returning to play for the Anadolu Efes next season in Turkey, implying that he’s finally ready to head over to the United States to play in the NBA after being drafted in 2014. Of course, this verbal commitment (or rather, de-commitment, if you’re looking at it from the Efes’ perspective) doesn’t mean everything. Saric has not signed any papers (that we know of) and he could easily go back on what he told his teammates just a few weeks ago.

After the fiasco of DeAndre Jordan committing to the Dallas Mavericks last offseason and then ultimately re-signing with the Los Angeles Clippers later on, the idea of players going back on their word is fresh in fan’s minds, and should keep Sixers fans at caution.

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As Brown and Colangelo try to sway Saric their way, there’s some things to keep in mind about Saric and his current situation. There are several different perspectives he and his family could take on his situation, and given that fans — as well as the Sixers organization — want Saric to come to the Sixers, he could have an upper hand in bartering.

There are plenty of reasons Saric could defer his ability to come over to America this upcoming season and play for the Sixers.

Finances

One big area that may keep Saric from coming over is the finance side of things. Although there is likely much more money to be made even on a rookie contract in the NBA compared to a veteran contract in the Turkish league, Saric will make more NBA money in the long run by holding out just one more season.

Per draft rules, draft and stash players that are drafted and put overseas (while their draft rights are retained) can make more money if they are brought over after a certain amount of years played overseas without signing their first NBA contract. If Saric signs this offseason, he will be subject to the rookie pay grade. If he holds out to next season, he is able to negotiate outside of that rookie pay scale, and has a large opportunity for a contract that gives him much more money.

For Saric, The money doesn’t seem like it is that big of a deal, which is encouraging for Sixers fans. He will get to play basketball on one of the largest possible stages, and move away from a country that is less in turmoil than Turkey, that has had its issues over the past several years (not that America is perfect, by any means).

Wait for a winning Sixers team

Second is the possibility that this season will help to develop a lot of the younger pieces on the Sixers. Of course, Saric probably would like to be a part of that development, but he could be considering the idea that if he comes in next season, he won’t have to go through as much of the pain of losing as he would if he comes this season. It certainly does take a toll on players, and after his Turkish team went to the championship this season, it might be tough for him to get into a mode of losing.

If he holds out until next year, the roster will not only be more defined, but will also be more experienced.

The flip side of this is that Saric could be at a disadvantage coming over next season. He could be a few steps behind the rest of his teammates as far as development, and also as far as knowing how the Sixers system works. A language barrier will also make it harder for him to get a hold of that system, at least at first.

The Olympics

An alternate take on the above situation is that holding out a year allows Saric to be able to transition to the NBA in a more traditional manner. Saric will reportedly headline the Croatian national team in this summer’s Olympic Games, which comes right during the NBA’s summer league games, typically featuring rookie and sophomore NBA athletes, as well as athletes fighting for those final roster spots.

Saric, although he’s pretty much guaranteed a spot on the Sixers even if he skips out on summer league, could be considered to be at a disadvantage if he doesn’t play in summer league. Participating in summer league, training camp, as well as preseason gives him as much time as possible to get acclimated to the feel of playing for NBA coaches, playing with NBA players, and what it’s like to be in the Sixers season.

If this is important to Saric, he could skip out on the Olympics (which doesn’t seem likely, since they only come around once every four years) or he could wait until next year.

Also, giving Saric as much NBA experience before the regular season starts will set him up to be the best player that he can possibly be. Easing his transition is more important than many fans give it credit to be.

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Although it would be disappointing for Sixers fans, Saric holding out offers them an opportunity to get excited about what’s to come not only this season with a top overall pick, but next season as well with one of their most talked about international prospects.