The agent for Dario Saric is confident that his client is ready to play in the NBA and tells Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that he disagrees with the Croatian prospect’s apparent decision to sign a new deal in Europe and remain there through at least next season. Robert Jablan asserts that Saric’s father is exerting undue influence on his son, who turns 20 next month and had been in line to become a lottery pick this year.
Jablan said Saric’s father may prompt him to cut ties with his client, though Saric has been expected to hire a new agent for a while. Sporando’s Emiliano Carchia believes Saric will sign with Misko Raznatovic, another prominent European agent (Twitter link). Saric’s apparent deal with Efes Pilson in Turkey would give him $8.27MM over three years, an unusually high sum for a European pact and more than he would likely make over the same timeframe on an NBA rookie scale contract. The deal would include an escape clause that would allow him to head to the NBA in 2016, when he’ll be automatically eligible for the draft.
Saric is ninth on Jonathan Givony’s top prospects list at DraftExpress, and No. 14 on the Big Board that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiles. He’s averaged 15.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists overall this season for the Croatian club KK Cibona. He declared for the draft in 2013, only to withdraw before the deadline to do so. He has until April 27th to change his mind about the Turkish contract and enter this year’s draft.