Sacramento Kings News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Nov 28, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Dario Saric (20) celebrates after scoring a basket during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Kings Forward Speaks on New Opportunity in Sacramento

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Will Zimmerle | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 12:50 PM ET

While we sit and wait for the Jonathan Kuminga situation to unfold, the Sacramento Kings still have additional question marks surrounding their roster heading into next season. One of the positions that appears to be up in the air is the backup power forward and center positions, as the Kings have limited depth in their frontcourt heading into next year.

After trading away Jonas Valanciunas for Dario Saric in their first offseason move, the Kings have an opening at the backup center spot behind Domantas Sabonis. They are also thin at the power forward position, with no clear backup to Keegan Murray with the current roster.

That leaves an opening for Saric to come in and find playing time, which seems like something no one is expecting after the deal was announced. Saric played in just 16 games last season for a total of 210 minutes, the fewest of his eight-season career.

But Saric looks ready to make last season an anomaly, and is ready to show what he can do on the court for the Kings. Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops caught up with Saric during the national team of Croatia's practice, and Saric let him know that he hopes to get more minutes in Sacramento than he did in Denver.

Dario Saric talks about his trade to the Sacramento Kings after one year with the Denver Nuggets

️ “I hope to get minutes at the four and five positions. But you never know for sure. I thought I was going to play in Denver too”https://t.co/77uz2PRGjT
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) July 30, 2025

The door is certainly open for Saric to find his way on to the court. He averaged 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists last season on 36.2% shooting from the field and 26.9% from three. Those are rough numbers, but he likely never had a chance to get his footing and rythym in Denver.

In the 2023-24 season with the Warriors, he averaged 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 46.6% shooting from the field and 37.6% from three in 17.2 minutes per contest.

That's more in line with his career averages, and most importantly, was a great shooting year for the stretch big. Saric has shown throughout his career that he can knock down the three, with a 36.0% career three-point percentage.

That could be his easiest path to the rotation, as Doug Christie appears to be going for a high-volume three-point offense. Rookie big Maxime Raynaud has also shown that he can step out and hit the three, but he may need some time before he finds his footing in the NBA.

Second-year big Isaac Jones just had a great Summer League showing, but does most of his damage around the basket.

Saric brings just a little something different than his teammates that he's competing for minutes with. While the three-point shooting could give him an edge, his defense could be what holds him back. One of the Kings' main goals for this upcoming season is to build a defensive culture and identity, and that could be hard to do with Saric getting heavy rotation minutes.

There's also the possibility that Saric gets moved again this offseason, as he's been included in reported trade packages for Kuminga. But if Saric is on the Kings roster next year, he seems to have a chance to make his mark and get back on the court after a down year in Denver.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: