At this point on the Sacramento Kings, Dario Saric isn't even a third option when Domantas Sabonis is injured. With the trade market opening on December 15, the Kings need to start planning on what they can do with Saric, other than leaving him on the bench every game.
During the offseason, the Kings made the dubious choice of trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets for Dario Saric. Valanciunas is, without question, one of the best active backup centers in the league today. That's something he's consistently proving with the Nuggets this season.
On the other hand, Saric is a serviceable player who has become bench fodder on the Kings. He hasn't entered a game since October 26, which is well over a month ago at this point. Given where the Kings are currently at, it's unlikely that's going to change any time soon.
The Kings' starter is Domantas Sabonis, a licensed double-double machine. They also have seasoned veteran Drew Eubanks and rising rookie star Maxime Raynaud playing backup. If they're really hurting for a big man, they can always call two-way contract rookie Dylan Cardwell up from the G League.
Dario Saric has no real function on the Kings
Nothing has made Saric's lack of place in the Kings' rotation more evident than the Sabonis injury. He has been out of commission for several games and will be for several more. Unfortunate situations like this are opportunities for other players to get bigger minutes on the court. Not Saric, though.
Doug Christie started this Sabonis-less run with Drew Eubanks as a starter and Maxime Raynaud as the second. That was working okayish, but Raynaud has really stepped up in the absence of Sabonis. As such, he has been the starting center for the last couple of games and has been delivering.
If the Kings need someone else in the five when Eubanks and Raynaud are on the bench, they've been going with Precious Achiuwa. Saric isn't even the third option when Sabonis is injured. Calling Cardwell up from Stockton if things get dire is more likely than Saric getting minutes.
If the Kings are not planning on trying to move Saric once trade season starts on December 15, then they need to figure out what they're doing with him. Right now, he's just taking up bench space and collecting dust, which seems like kind of a waste for both parties.