Dario Saric will withdraw from 2013 NBA Draft, agent confirms

Croatian prospect Dario Saric has decided to withdraw from the 2013 NBA Draft, his agent confirmed to Michael McNamara of ESPN’s Bourbon Street Shots blog on Friday. The 19-year-old big man Saric was considered one of the top international prospects in the draft class, and Draft Express had him ranked No. 27 on the Top-100 prospect list for 2013.

Saric had reportedly been looking for a lottery promise to keep him in the draft this year. He recently signed a four-year contract with the Croatian club Cibona Zagreb, but each year of the deal has an NBA opt-out so he could return and declare for the draft next year.

Saric burst onto the scene as a prospect when he dominated the 2012 European Championship and earned tournament MVP honors as Croatia won the gold medal. He did struggle at times with Cibona Zagreb this past year and is still quite raw. The 6’10 big man has plenty of NBA potential, and he’s armed with good mobility and passing skills, but he will need to work on his shooting ability if he hopes to improve his stock.

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