money Sixers draft in review: Croatian Dario Saric traded for in the 2014 draft
As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for the 2021 NBA draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on July 29, we look back on past drafts.
The Sixers held two picks in the 2014 NBA draft, Nos. 3 and 10, and they used both of them to their fullest. They went with Joel Embiid with the No. 3 pick and Elfrid Payton with the 10th pick before flipping him to the Orlando Magic for the No. 12 pick, which tuned out to be Dario Saric.
The player affectionately called “The Homie” did not make his debut for the Sixers until the 2016-17 season, as did Embiid. There was the running joke of “he’s never coming over.” He had to figure out his contract situation overseas before he could come to the NBA.
Once his contract situation was settled, and he signed his deal with Philadelphia, Saric was in the running for Rookie of the Year averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds. He helped the Sixers make the playoffs in 2018 and he was a good complement to Ben Simmons and Embiid out on the floor.
Saric then played 13 games for Philadelphia in the 2018-19 season before being flipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the Jimmy Butler trade. After spending the rest of the season in Minnesota, Saric was traded to the Phoenix Suns where he is a big part of their bench unit.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
List
3 trade options Sixers should look into for All-Star guard Ben Simmons
