Matt Slocum/AP
Dario Saric could sign with the 76ers as a free agent in 2017.
Saric was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 12th pick, then traded to the 76ers for Elfrid Payton.
However, it was known at the time that Saric wouldn't be making his NBA debut for some time, as he'd already signed a three-year contract with Turkish club Anadolu Efes. The 76ers reportedly wanted him to come over this past summer, but it would involve a pricey buyout, so Saric stayed in Turkey for another year.
Now, it seems like the wait won't be much longer - Saric is looking to come to the NBA in 2016 when he can exercise a player option (via NJ.com's Matt Lombardo).
"I'm in constant contact with the Sixers," Saric told Croatian site Vecernji list. "They wanted me to come this summer, but I couldn't get out of the contract. Next summer I have a way out, and I'm gonna take it. I'll try to go out as the Euroleague champion. That's the dream."
While this seems like a good thing for Saric, it would actually be an unwise financial move.
If Saric were to wait one more season, he would no longer be subjected to the NBA's rookie salary scale. According to Real GM, the third year of Saric's rookie salary would pay him $1.97 million. If he were to wait until his contract with Efes is up in 2017, his rookie contract would be up, and Saric could negotiate a free agent contract exclusively with the 76ers.
Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic did the same thing when he was taken with the 23rd pick in the 2011 draft. Mirotic played overseas for three years, waited out his rookie contract, then signed a three-year, $16.6 million contract with the Bulls last summer. As Liberty Ballers' Shamus Clancy noted, Mirotic made himself over $4 million more in the first year of his current deal than he would have in the third year of his rookie deal.
Furthermore, Saric could really play this right by waiting until 2017 because the NBA's salary cap is expected to explode to $108 million. In doing so, contracts will be at never-before-seen levels, meaning Saric's $1.9 million third-year salary could look paltry next to what he could get from the 76ers as a free agent.
The only real risk is that Saric could get hurt while playing abroad and lessen his value as a free agent. Even still, when the NBA's salary cap will be so high, it seems that Saric could out-earn his rookie salary scale, regardless, of his play or health.
So while the temptation to join the NBA as soon as possible might be strong, Saric could do his wallet a favor by showing a little more patience.