The Denver Nuggets signed Dario Saric to a two-year, $10.4 million deal in free agency last year, a move they shouldn't have made. He appeared in 16 games, averaging 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds.
The biggest issue with Saric's contract is the $5.4 million player option he has for the 2025-26 season. He could decline it to enter free agency, but that's an improbable scenario. There is a chance that another team might not sign him, and if they did, it wouldn't be for that amount. Saric would be leaving money on the table.
In early April, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post reported that Saric plans to exercise his player option (what a surprise!). His deadline to officially decide is June 29, before the start of the free agency period. Saric told The Denver Post that he would decide with his family what was best for him after the season.
There is a "straightforward" way the Nuggets could get Saric's salary off the books for next season -- but it will depend on what the forward wants to do next. He signed with Denver last summer over Panathinaikos. Bennett reported that other European clubs, such as Dubai Basketball and Real Madrid, are interested in Saric playing for them next season.
Will Dario Saric still be with the Nuggets next season?
The Nuggets don't want to have to buy out Saric's contract, and the likelihood of including him in a trade without attaching draft assets is very slim. If Saric wants to go overseas and have an increased role -- something that won't happen in Denver -- he could decline his player option.
Saric signed with the Nuggets under the impression that he'd be a significant contributor, but that didn't work out. He didn't play at all in December or March. His final game with the team in 2024-25 was on April 2, when he shot 2-of-2 from the field in seven minutes for four points against the Spurs. Saric didn't play at all under interim coach David Adelman, an expected move given the stakes for Denver's season.
DeAndre Jordan, who will be 37 in July, played over Saric, who is 31. That tells you all you need to know about how the Nuggets feel about Saric on the court. Calvin Booth, who signed the forward, is gone. Denver's top offseason priority will be adding depth to the roster, a task that will become even more complicated if Saric exercises his option.
The Nuggets can only hope that Saric will decline his option to go overseas, and if he does, hopefully it'll work out for him.