In the 2024 offseason, the Denver Nuggets signed Dario Šarić to a two-year, $10.6 million deal, with a $5.4 million player option for this season. Calvin Booth didn't think Šarić would average only 13.1 minutes in 16 games. The new front office duo managed to turn his contract into Jonas Valančiūnas over last summer, sending him to Sacramento in a move that is still hard to believe.
Šarić appeared in only five games for the Kings this season, averaging 1.0 points and 1.2 rebounds, before they traded him to the Bulls in a multi-team deal before the deadline. Chicago flipped him to Detroit in another three-team trade, and on Sunday, the Pistons waived him to make room for Daniss Jenkins' standard contract. At least temporarily, Šarić was part of the best team in the East.
Now Šarić is a free agent, but while he's able to sign with any team, it seems like this could be the end of the road in the NBA for the 31-year-old. It doesn't mean he'll be completely done with basketball, as he could go overseas to play in the EuroLeague.
Pistons waive former Nuggets big man Dario Šarić
To think that fans entered the 2025 offseason thinking that there was no way that Šarić wouldn't start the new season on the roster after picking up his player option. No one thought that Denver would be able to offload his contract for the best Nikola Jokić backup it's had, especially without attaching draft assets to it.
Thanks again, Sacramento, for not only giving Denver an out but helping the Nuggets boost their depth en route to what they hope will be a championship season.
Valančiūnas, who missed a few weeks with a calf strain, has played 41 games this season, which is nearly three times as many games as Šarić played last season. You can say that he's been a little more productive, too, averaging 9.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
As lucky as the Nuggets were to trade Šarić for Valančiūnas, it's unfortunate that the former has reached this point. Things didn't work out for him in Denver, and it was clear early on that it wouldn't, but you can't put all of the blame on him for that. He's not the one who gave himself a player option.
Hopefully, regardless of where Šarić ends up, things will work out for him.