Suns notebook: Saric wanted to return to Phoenix; Moore brings versatility

Dario Saric admitted it was a nerve-wracking couple of days in restricted free agency.

The Phoenix Suns big man stayed home in Croatia, which is eight hours ahead of local time in Phoenix. That meant it was a lot of Saric waking up with anxiety to check his phone, seeing if his agent or the Suns had contacted him while he was sleeping.

Eventually, Saric signed a three-year deal to come back to the Suns, where he always wanted to be.

“Always my first wish, it was to stay with the Suns, to play again with the same guys, the same coaches, the same organization two years in a row — that was my first goal,” he said Friday. “Obviously we had a great run in the bubble and it was the first thing in my wish list.”

That makes a lot of sense when you look at Saric’s career.

He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014 but stayed overseas for two years before coming over, and then not even halfway into his third season with Philly, Saric was traded to Minnesota as part of a package for Jimmy Butler. After one year with the Timberwolves, he was dealt on draft night last summer to the Suns.

As you can imagine, all of that movement only four NBA seasons in would make a guy want to stay put somewhere for a bit.

So too, did the Suns’ play in the bubble, and Saric was a huge part of that.

The Croatian was one of Phoenix’s 3-4 best players over the eight-game stretch, finding a groove as a stretch five off the bench, averaging 14.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

The Suns found another level of rhythm offensively that’s aesthetically pleasing to a player of Saric’s archetype. For a big man who is comfortable taking a few dribbles and making a pass, a system with high levels of both ball and player movement is what suits Saric best.

Monty Williams’ 0.5 offense did that well enough in the regular season to lead the league in assists, but they reached a higher gear in Orlando.

“I had a feeling in the bubble (that) in every moment all five guys were in a great situation to score the basket,” Saric said. “All five guys were a danger to score the basket. It wasn’t just one guy who was getting buckets and all other teams focusing on him.

“I get the feeling all five guys on the court were able to do something: to score, to make a cut, to make the right play, to make the extra pass and I think that was the real reason why we were so good in the bubble.”

Saric has bounced in and out of roles throughout his career, so it was essential for him to find a playstyle and role that felt right. That’s why it shouldn’t be a surprise that Saric wanted to be back as much as the Suns wanted him back.

MOORE VERSATILITY

In a similar vein as Saric, E’Twaun Moore has had a tough time finding his footing on a permanent, defined NBA post.

Three seasons ago, he started 80 games for the New Orleans Pelicans and played 31.5 minutes a night. This past season, he struggled to hold a consistent rotation spot behind a young guard group the Pelicans wanted to find playing time for.

As a combo guard with lots of offensive skill, that’s led to Moore playing a bunch of different roles, something that has made him more versatile now as a veteran entering his 10th NBA season.

The Suns’ free agent signing could prove to be a critical add given the shortcomings the team’s reserve guards had pre-bubble.

“I think I’ll definitely be a great complement,” Moore said Friday. “I’m very versatile, can do a lot of things. If that’s shooting, me trying to create to get guys shots — just coming in and bringing that spark.”

Moore and Langston Galloway might have gone under the radar for casual fans as signings on the veteran’s minimum, but their names have been mentioned often throughout the week. That’s because Phoenix is going to need them.

With the reveal of the first half of the Suns’ schedule came the note of eight back-to-backs in the first two-and-a-half months. With Chris Paul turning 36 years old later this season, Williams and his staff will likely give the Point God a few of those nights off. That’s where Moore and Galloway come in, along with Cameron Payne and Jevon Carter.

“This season is gonna be a short, compact season with a lot of games so you’re gonna need every person … it’s gonna come a point very soon when you never know,” he said. “Every guy is gonna be important and we gonna need everyone. I think the deeper teams always prevail in the end, so I think that’s gonna be one of our strengths.”

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