One of the poster children of the 76ers’ much-maligned “Process” could soon be on his way to Philadelphia to help save the day.
The Sixers are reportedly confident that former No. 12 overall pick Dario Saric, whose rights they retain, will join the team for the 2016-17 NBA season, according to a report by Keith Pompey of Philly.com on Friday.
“Obviously, decisions are going to have to be made on his part,” said Sixers head coach Brett Brown. “But we like what we see and we believe he likes what he sees.
“We just continue to stay with him and remind him that he has a bunch of coaches and teammates and friend back here that look very much forward to seeing him as soon as we can,” Brown continued.
Saric, the 21-year-old Croatian, has yet to play a single second in the NBA since being drafted in 2014. He has essentially functioned as an overseas stash, playing out the last two years in Europe. Saric has the ability to opt out of his contract with Turkish club Anadolu Efes (which has been preventing him from making the leap to the NBA) at the end of this season.
A long, crafty forward with legit three-point range and a high basketball IQ, Saric would be a godsend for a Sixers team in desperate need of talent anywhere they can get it, especially on the wing. With the potential of Saric and another high-end lottery pick coming into town for the 2016-17 campaign, it could be the season that “The Process” finally starts paying dividends for a starved Sixers franchise.
H/T theScore
Image Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
