It's been a busy week for Dario Saric. On Sunday, he was part of a three-team trade that moved him from the Sacramento Kings to the Bulls. Yesterday, he was part of another three-team trade that sent him to the Pistons. He's gone from the worst team in the league to the best team in the east.
The worst kept secret in the league was the fact that the only player the Kings were 99.9999% going to have traded by the deadline was Keon Ellis. He was the player with the biggest trade value on the roster, and at least a full third of the league was calling Sacramento about him, possibly more.
It finally happened on Sunday. A three-team trade sent Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder from the Kings alongside Emanuel Miller from the Bulls to the Cavs. Sacramento got De'Andre Hunter while the Bulls collected Dario Saric from the Kings and a pair of second-round draft picks.
That wasn't the end of the story for Saric. Two days later, another three-team deal sent him and Kevin Huerter to Detroit. In turn, the Bulls got Mike Conley Jr. from the Wolves and Jaden Ivey from the Pistons. Minnesota only ended up with cash considerations, though there's a good reason for that.
Dario Saric is suddenly in the hunt for an NBA Championship
The Timberwolves are reportedly making moves to free up cap space to go after Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is finally ready to leave the Bucks. Minnesota's goal is to pair Giannis with Anthony Edwards, then let this duo wreak havoc on the rest of the NBA.
It would be a blockbuster trade without question, but that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that Dario Saric has literally gone from sitting on the bench of the worst team in the NBA to joining the roster for the top team in the Eastern Conference with a real shot at an NBA Championship.
Over the course of 48 hours and a pair of three-team trades, Saric is suddenly in one of the most enviable positions in the NBA. Realistically, he not likely to get a lot of minutes on the Pistons. They have a solid line up and an established rotation. Still, he's better off with the Pistons in any scenario.
Saric's contract is up after this season and he will be an unrestricted free agent at that point. There's no way of knowing if the Pistons will keep him or not. Regardless of what happens then, Saric is going to see the postseason this year, which is more than the Kings can say,