One main topic of conversation among scouts in attendance this morning was Dario Saric's reported decision to withdraw from the 2013 NBA Draft.
Raising the ire of many, one team picking in the teens opined, “[Saric was] not as accessible as he needed to be during the draft process; information hasn't been forthcoming outside of one draft blog. We can't draft a guy like that without getting him in our gym and without a physical or interview."
"He's really not even that good," says another NBA exec drafting outside the lottery. "He played in a terrible league and he was just average there. Which coach will play him as a point forward in the NBA? I don't see it unless he significantly improves his defense and shooting. He's not a guy that can create his own shot in the half-court in our league."
Most teams we talked to say that in all likelihood he did not like the information was receiving about being projected to be picked in the 20-30 range and that concerns about his buyout were the key factor in his decision to pull out considering his draft range.
His "rights" are owned by a shady third party in Croatia and they may prefer to sell him to a big team in Europe to get more money.
Saric reportedly made a commitment to a "security firm" in Croatia that he would give the company 25% of his rookie contract in exchange for paying his buyout from his former team last fall. Unfortunately for them, the lower he goes in the draft, the smaller that pie gets, which surely has caused some pressure.
Had Saric been projected to be selected in the lottery like some were reporting, he undoubtedly would have stayed in considering how much stronger next year's draft class is.
Some mentioned that the date of this announcement, 10 days before he needed to actually withdraw his name, may be a ploy for a team drafting in the top-20 to step forward and make a commitment that they will pick him and bring him over to the NBA right away after paying his buyout.
