Report: Top-10 prospect Dario Saric agrees to 3-year deal in Turkey
After a drawn-out will he or won't he process leading up to the NBA draft's final withdraw date for international prospects, Croatian prospect Dario Saric decided to leave his name in the draft.
All good, right? Teams now know he's in the draft and can scout and research him in earnest.
Well, not quite. Saric continued to confuse the matter on Monday morning by agreeing to a three-year deal with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball League. That will keep Saric out of the NBA for at least two seasons.
Breaking: Dario Saric has agreed in principle to a three year deal with Anadolu Efes a source close to Saric told http://t.co/KQ6fwudeVT.
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 23, 2014
The deal will essentially prohibit Saric from playing in the NBA for a minimum of two years the source told ESPN.
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 23, 2014
While Saric remains a certain first-round pick, he's no longer thought to be a safe bet for the lottery. Basically, he's now probably only in the sights of teams with multiple first-round picks willing to use one on a long-term play, or teams strapped for cap space who want to stash a top talent for a couple of years.
It's an unfortunate turn, though not a wholly unexpected one. Just 20 years old, Saric can play another two or three seasons in Europe and still be considered a top prospect when he heads stateside.