Dario Saric returns to Phoenix after OKC trade

Dario Saric laughed it up with Deandre Ayton and acknowledged the fans before his pregame workout Friday at Footprint Center.

“’Rio taught me a lot, man,” Ayton said. “Real talk. How to use my body. Stay low.”

Then Saric received a resounding ovation from the crowd and a round of applause from the Suns players starting with Devin Booker when he was announced in the first quarter.

“That’s my man,” Booker said. “Lifelong friend of mine. He always had great energy.”

Welcome home.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Dario Saric (9) against the Phoenix Suns in the first half of a Feb. 24, 2023, game at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

“’Rio, that’s our guy, man,” Suns All-Star Chris Paul said. “You see how everybody in the crowd went crazy for him. It’s bigger than teammates. We stay connected.”

Saric made his return to Phoenix just two weeks after the Suns (33-28) traded him and a second-round pick to Oklahoma City (28-31) for Darius Bazley right before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

“It’s been good, it’s been good,” Saric said before the game on his return. “It’s weird on one part. See the guys, the security guys.”

Wearing No. 9 for the Thunder, Saric scored eight points, going 2-of-2 on 3s, and grabbed four rebounds off the bench in 12 minutes of Friday’s game the Suns won, 124-115.

“He’s a guy that helped us reach the (2021) finals,” said Suns coach Monty Williams, who also coached Saric in Philadelphia as an assistant. “He’s a guy that helped us build our program. He’s someone that you watched grow into a mature NBA basketball player and on many nights, he was the heart and soul of our team with his competitive edge, his versatility and his ability to be coached.”

Williams later said he’s “emotionally attached” to Saric because of his time with him.

“I think the world of him,” Williams said.

Saric, 28, averaged 10.7 points his first season with Phoenix in 2019-20 when he came over in a draft day trade that included Cam Johnson going into Williams’ first season as Suns’ head coach.

Ayton recalls being in the Orlando Bubble where Phoenix closed that season with an unprecedented 8-0 run – and getting worked by Saric in practice.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but 1-on-1s in the bubble, I think he won every time, every day,” Ayton said. “Just how low he was to the ground, and he’d get around shot blockers and pump fakes around the rim. Rio was fun to be around. So funny.”

Saric’s scoring dropped to 8.7 points a game in 2020-21, but the rugged power forward who can hit 3s, pass, play the five and take advantage of mismatches contributed to the Suns reaching the finals for the third time in franchise history.

Then in Game 1 against Milwaukee in his first finals appearance ever, Saric suffered a torn right ACL that sidelined him for the entire 2021-22 season.

Booker recalls Saric having a positive outlook throughout the strenuous and emotional rehab process.

“He still brought a high spirit to the team and the gym every single day,” Booker said. “Spent more time in the weight room than anybody getting back right. It was always a bright spot in my day seeing his energy and how he was handling dealing with an injury that long.”

Saric returned this season in great shape after playing for the Croatian national team in the summer, showed flashes of his earlier self, but averaged a career-low 5.8 points before being traded.

Now he’s with a new team in the final year of a three-year deal. Saric will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

“Team guy that has a great feel for the game,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I give him a lot of credit. He’s coming into the youngest team in the NBA from a situation that’s obviously a great situation. He’s done a great job of just trying to simulate with the group and be very open to the way that things are done organizationally and the way the team is playing.”

Daigneault added that Saric has blended in and made a “positive” first impression.

“Good dude,” Thunder forward Kenrich Williams said about Saric, who is in his seventh NBA season. “Competitive. He’s a vet so he knows how to play the game.”

Daigneault talked about Saric being a player who is strong, smart, moves the ball within the offense and is in the right spots defensively, but is still evaluating how to best use his skill set.

“One thing we try to do, whether it’s with Dario, a guy we get at the deadline, or a draft player, is not make too many assumptions and just take a look at it,” Daigneault said. “See what emerges and explore it and that’s what we’ll do with him.”

The Thunder average five more points than the Suns and play faster. Oklahoma City is third in the league in pace while Phoenix stands 22nd.

“He’s just got to come along with the game plan,” Kenrich Williams said. “Just learning the guys. He has his game. He knows what he does well. So just being himself and not try to be something different than he is.”

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