Dario Saric signs with Anadolu Efes, delaying NBA for at least 2 years
Top NBA Draft prospect Dario Saric agreed to a three-year contract with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish professional league on Monday, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
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The deal will prevent Saric from joining the NBA for at least two years, Ford says, leaving NBA teams in a bind as the draft approaches on Thursday. The 20-year-old remains eligible, but his stock will likely drop now that teams can’t immediately bring him over to begin adjusting to life in the United States.
In Ford’s latest mock draft, Saric is projected as the No. 17 overall pick by the Boston Celtics. That’s down from his previous mock, where Saric was projected as the No. 12 pick by the Orlando Magic.
So while Saric will likely see his stock drop somewhat with Monday’s news, he’s still one of the top international prospects in the draft. Whoever selects him may need to wait until 2016, when he’ll be 22 years old, but that’s hardly enough to scare away teams later in the first round.
It does likely drop Saric from the lottery, however, as teams expect more immediate value from those top selections. When you’re picking 20th overall, gambling on Saric while he’s still in Turkey is one thing, but it’s different if you’re sitting in the top-10 with a variety of talents still on the board.
Ford notes that the signing isn’t particularly surprising, as Saric had been negotiating with Anadolu Efes for a while, but it does disappointment some of the NBA teams who were targeting him. Understandably, they hoped to get him acclimated to the NBA life as quickly as possible, but now that plan is on delay.