5 reasons the Phoenix Suns were prudent in not re-signing Dario Saric
By Adam Maynes
Dario Saric is no Joe Johnson
Let me get this first one out of the way very quickly.
Robert Sarver had the opportunity to extend an integral piece of the Phoenix Suns’ roster prior to the start of the 2004-05 season, and failed to do so.
That blunder potentially cost the franchise at least one NBA championship as Johnson entered restricted free agency following a breakout season for the team (62 wins, you might recall), and he forced his way out to a much larger extension with the Atlanta Hawks, much to the team and the fan’s chagrin.
Dario Saric is no Joe Johnson.
The year prior to Steve Nash‘s return, Johnson had already solidified himself as one of the most prominent and developing young shooting guards in the NBA.
Averaging 16.7 points in a season in which Leandro Barbosa ended up the primary point guard, Johnson was already expected to be a part of the future and ready to become an All-Star.
To date, Saric has yet to truly find himself in the league.
Not a regular starter and traded twice in three years, he had a bit of a coming out season in 2017-18 when he averaged 14.6 points per game, yet took a pretty significant scoring step back last season to only 10.6.
Circumstances certainly play into that as his offensive presence had been toned down in Philadelphia prior to being traded to Minnesota in the Jimmy Butler deal, then with the ‘Wolves he had moved back to the bench after having been the primary starting power forward in Philadelphia.
Further, outside of his 13 games with Philly last season he is a true lethal 3-point shooter, but he has never become the kind of shooter that a team cannot live without.
Could he become such a viable offensive threat this season with the Suns to the point where the team cannot move forward without him?
Sure!
But what if it doesn’t and he had been extended early hampering their ability to make additional moves next summer.
That is a risk well worth taking.