Nuggets' Veteran Makes Major Decision Before Free Agency

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zachary Rainey | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 9:15 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets are coming off an interesting season. Despite firing their head coach and general manager just days before the end of the regular season, the Nuggets found postseason success, defeating the then-red-hot Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

With David Adelman at the helm, the Nuggets had the opportunity to upset the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round when they forced them to seven games. However, it was as though the workload had caught up to Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets and saw their season come to an end.

Nuggets' veteran makes major decision before free agency

Some of the reasons for the Nuggets' success were due to the spark Russell Westbrook provided off the bench, particularly against the Clippers. Not only did he offer timely offensive rebounds resulting in second-chance points, but he also shot 41.9% from 3-point land.

Westbrook recently declined his player option for next season making him a free agent this summer. While he could still return to Denver, the Nuggets are likely going to look to add even further depth.

According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, veteran forward Dario Saric made a crucial decision to exercise his player option worth $5.4 million, doing so a week before the June 29 deadline.

Denver's Dario Šarić has activated his $5.4 million player option for next season, league sources tell @TheSteinLine.

Šarić had until June 29 to exercise or bypass the option.

More coverage: https://t.co/BbJqoGqwPO
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2025

Saric appeared in 16 games for the Thunder during the regular season. He averaged 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He did not see the court in the playoffs.

At that money, Saric could turn into a buyout candidate, as he's far from cracking the rotation for the Nuggets. Denver does not have a pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft, so free agency will be crucial as we advance in the offseason.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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