Dario Saric, Suns Agree to 3-Year, $27M Contract in 2020 Free Agency

Dario Saric is returning to the Phoenix Suns after agreeing to a three-year, $27 million contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.   

Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman, Saric's agents, confirmed the deal to Wojnarowski.

Saric spent all of 2019-20 in Phoenix, his third team since entering the NBA in 2016.

The Philadelphia 76ers sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in November 2018 as part of the Jimmy Butler trade. Then the Timberwolves swapped first-round picks in 2019, which saw Saric dealt to Phoenix.

Because he was due to hit restricted free agency, the move was somewhat surprising from the Suns' side. They would have one season to determine whether to sign him to a potentially large contract or watch him leave and get nothing in return.

The dearth of talent in this year's free-agent class would inflate Saric's value to some extent as well. The trouble for Phoenix and other suitors was that the Croatia international did little to dispel any misgivings about his long-term potential.

Saric enjoyed a few standout showings for the Suns. His best performance came in their 127-117 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on March 6. He finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, three steals and one block. He also shot 9-of-14 from the field and hit two of his four three-pointers. He followed up with 24 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort to the Blazers on March 10.

Still, inconsistency affected Saric. He averaged 10.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from the perimeter.

Getting excited about Saric after his rookie season was easy. He was runner-up to Malcolm Brogdon in the Rookie of the Year voting and part of a dynamic young roster in Philadelphia. As a 6'10" power forward who could stretch the floor, he was built perfectly for the modern game.

For the most part, though, Saric remains the same player he was in 2016-17.

He has proved himself to be a solid starter or rotational piece, but he probably isn't going to take an All-Star-type jump in his game. Defensively, he will continue to be a liability against more athletic forwards or bigger centers, yet he isn't so bad as to be useless.

With Deandre Ayton locked in as the starter at center for the foreseeable future, Saric is a nice offensive complement in Phoenix's frontcourt and will share playing time with rookie Jalen Smith.