Dario Saric, No. 11 Pick Reportedly Traded to Suns; Timberwolves Get No. 6 Pick
June 20, 2019
The Minnesota Timberwolves have reportedly agreed to trade forward Dario Saric and the No. 11 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft to the Phoenix Suns for the No. 6 selection, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Timberwolves reportedly tried to move up to Nos. 4 or 5 before settling for No. 6, according to Wojnarowski.
Minnesota acquired Saric in November as part of the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 25-year-old mostly struggled to acclimate to his new surroundings, averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 38.3 percent from three across 68 games with the Wolves. That was a sizable drop-off from his 2017-18 production, when he looked to be emerging as one of the NBA's most offensively gifted young bigs.
In early February, Saric discussed how his transition was going:
"It's going good. I try to find the way how to play with the guys and I think I find a way. Sometimes it's going good, sometimes it's going bad and you know, just keep a positive mind and just be ready for the next game and try to give everything that you have.
"Of course, you need to find a way with new coaches, new guys, find new chemistry, of course it's a little bit harder. But I think I'm doing good. Of course, you have bad games sometimes, but I try to give 100 percent each game."
The Suns will hope another change of scenery gets Saric out of his funk.
Saric can begin negotiating an extension this summer, although Phoenix may prefer to see how he fits before committing long-term money to him. The Suns will likely slot him into the power forward slot vacated by TJ Warren, who they reportedly traded to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, per Wojnarowski.
Saric's ascent with the Sixers in 2017-18 seemed to indicate he was a rising young star, but his struggles this past season seem to peg him as more of a role player or situational starter.
The Suns' swap of young forwards could give them max-level salary-cap space in free agency this summer, depending on which incumbent players they choose to keep. ESPN's Bobby Marks noted they took on $1.7 million in additional money in this deal.