Suns injury update on forward Dario Saric is bad news

The Phoenix Suns are down a forward in the NBA Finals against the Bucks with Dario Saric out indefinitely after suffering a knee injury.

Suns forward Dario Saric went down injured after playing just two minutes in the first quarter of Game 1 against the Bucks.

Unfortunately, those are likely to be his only minutes of the NBA Finals.

Phoenix revealed Saric suffered a torn ACL. He is officially out indefinitely, but with that kind of injury, it seems incredibly unlikely he’ll play again this postseason.

For the Suns, losing Saric means a hit to their front-court depth. He was averaging 4.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and one assist in 10.5 minutes of action during playoff games. In the regular season, he averaged 8.7 points, 3.88 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

Suns lose Dario Saric for rest of NBA Finals after torn ACL

“It’s just one of those situations that literally breaks your heart,” head coach Monte Williams said, per Gerald Bourguet of FanSided. “Dario’s a guy that I’ve been with twice – I coached him in Philly – and to get a chance to be with him here, he’s what Suns basketball is about.”

Without Saric, Williams said the Suns will need to depend more on seven-foot power forward Frank Kaminsky and small forwards Torrey Craig and Abdel Nader as small ball options.

Craig ended up playing 16 minutes in Game 1, scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds. Kaminsky played just four minutes while Nader didn’t appear.

Phoenix dominated the first game against Milwaukee thanks to a thunderous performance from star point guard Chris Paul. In his first-ever Finals appearance, he had 32 points, four rebounds, nine assists and a steal.

Game 2 will tip off in Phoenix on Thursday night as the Suns look to grab a 2-0 advantage while the Bucks try to get back in the grove with a critical road victory.

Dario Saric contract: What will Suns do with Dario Saric salary?

A torn ACL likely means that Saric will miss most of next season in addition to the rest of the NBA Finals. Luckily for the Suns, he’s under contract for two more seasons, and won’t become an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2023.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

2021-22: $9.5M
2022-23: $9.2M
2023: UFA