Dario Saric would make sense for the Chicago Bulls

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A draft already in disarray following Joel Embiid’s foot injury took another blow Monday when it was announced that Croatian forward Dario Saric had signed a three-year deal with Turkish club Anadolu Efes, a deal that would keep him out of the NBA for at least two years, if not three. As such, teams who might have seen Saric as a top-10 pick might pass, opening the door for at least one very obvious suitor: the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls have two first round picks, nos. 16 and 19, and are worried about money. They’ve been working to unload said picks, either for veteran talent or simply to clear room under the cap for Carmelo Anthony. But if they hold on to one or both picks, Saric would make plenty of sense.

We know the Bulls are willing to wait on elite prospects. Witness Nikola Mirotic, the forward from Montenegro whom the Bulls hope might join the team this summer after being drafted in 2011. That gets tricky, cap-wise, but it could still happen depending on what else goes on this summer. And drafting an international prospect who won’t play in the NBA this year would wipe the money that would otherwise be committed to that player off the books, opening up room that could be used on Melo or whoever.

Saric’s calling card is his versatility and his ability to handle the ball and make things happen from the power forward slot. Even if he were to play the three in the NBA, his post-up skills and his size, 6’10”, would make him a potentially dynamic force. His shooting is generally inconsistent and his defense is — at best — nothing to write home about, but it’s not like Tom Thibodeau can’t get the best out of limited defenders.

I have very little idea of what exactly the Bulls will do at the draft, if only because there are approximately 10,000 plausible scenarios. But my guess is that if Saric is still on the board, they’re going to take him. It just makes too much sense.