Dario Saric picks up 2025 player option with Nuggets

Nuggets big man Dario Saric is picking up his $5.4 million player option to stay in Denver next season, his agent Misko Raznatovic said on Sunday.

Saric, 31, is penciled in as the Nuggets’ sixth-highest salary on the 2025-26 roster. He appeared in only 16 games last season, averaging 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 13.1 minutes. The former lottery pick from Croatia quickly fell out of the rotation early in the season, after signing in Denver for the taxpayer mid-level exception.

Multiple clubs have reportedly courted him to return overseas, but Saric was planning before the end of the regular season to pick up his player option, sources told The Denver Post in April.

“Obviously, it’s been kind of a tough or rough season for me, not being able to have some consistent minutes. (Michael Malone) is making decisions, and he’s the guy who’s in charge,” Saric told The Post. “Just here right now. Still have my option for next year.”

The Nuggets fired Malone before the playoffs, eventually elevating lead assistant David Adelman to the head coach position.

With Saric opting in and Russell Westbrook opting out, the Nuggets are now set to enter the free agency period with three open roster spots and $10.6 million in space below the second tax apron. Even with Saric on the roster, they can use another taxpayer mid-level exception this offseason to sign a player for up to $5.7 million.

If they want to shed Saric’s salary, they can also look for trade partners willing to take on his contract — but it would likely cost them precious draft capital. Last summer, Denver traded three second-round picks to get rid of Reggie Jackson’s similar contract after he picked up a player option.

Now the team is low on assets, with only one second-round pick (2032) available to trade and one first-rounder (2031 or 2032).

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