GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 2, 2023

Dario Saric

Media Conference

DARIO Å ARIC: The last couple years, obviously have like one of the greatest player ever, one of the greatest system ever, one of the greatest coach ever. So for me, it was kind of easy decision. Obviously I didn't sign in the first or second of the, how do you say, free agency, I didn't sign it right away.

But you know, it was always in my mind. Like I want to go there. This is like best option for me to play quality guys, high-level IQ players who knows how to win. Obviously I came here ten days ago and I see like what has been playing for the team that knows how to win, and even the guys who are coming kind of on the side or for training camp, you can see how they fit in. You know, they fit in the system, it's not like, you know, figuring it out, it's like everybody kind of knows what they are doing. Just glad and happy to be here.

Q. How excited are you to be teammates with Chris Paul again?

DARIO Å ARIC: I'm excited. Me and Chris kind of like plague played together. We have like great, great run with the Suns. We went with the Finals. Some circumstances, we didn't win the Championship.

Amazing guy. Amazing player. Just how he read the court and how he play pick-and-roll and how he can play audible, that kinds of stuff, amazing. Happy to play with him again, and he really knows how to find me in some situation. We have great experience playing together and I hope we are going to be a lot of time on the court together and kind of like figure out how to attack and how to guard and obviously great defender, too. Great to be with him again.

Q. Chris spent a lot of time talking about you, how perfect a fit you are for this team and he can see it. Did you play a lot with him in Phoenix, and can you see this kind of being the basis of a unit out there with this team?

DARIO Å ARIC: Kind of, yeah, we play a lot. Obviously he was the first unit, I was the second unit. A lot of time during the season, kind of like he was playing with the second unit, and kind of like he was playing even the campaign for them together the second unit. What was your question?

Q. Being a nice foundation for a unit.

DARIO Å ARIC: Yeah, nice function for a unit. Obviously there was more specifically like more pick-and-roll, let's say, 2-2 game and try to find the shooters on the side, but here I think it's like different.

You know, if you have five guys on the court who are dangerous in every moment, who are capable to score in every moment, that's a system.

So from there it's just hard to guard. And obviously you have Chris, high IQ, he can play the pick-and-roll, I think is just great addition for this team, Warriors. They have like option plays, but they can play pick-and-roll, too. They have great guy who can find guys open.

Q. Were you playing pick-and-roll with him?

DARIO Å ARIC: Yeah, I was setting screen for him most of the time. So sometimes I'm short post, sometimes I will roll and sometimes I will spread on the court and pick and pop and go from. You know, like last year, we started to play together. I was more playing four.

So I was more playing off the ball and I was kind of like reading him, how he was playing pick-and-roll and try to make a cut and try to make a little slot to be open for him to find and get the open shot or play from that. But my first year, playing in the Finals, being more pick-and-roll situation with him.

Q. You've been on a few different teams. What are some of your first impressions of the vibe you're getting from the Warriors?

DARIO Å ARIC: I think you can see, it's just like energy is different. You can kind of feel it, the team already did something. You know, they already won the Championship multiple times. So they have kind of experience. They have kind of like that peace and still proud, you know, how they doing things.

Sometimes you come on the teams and especially in training camp when it's everything kind of like wild. Everybody kind of want to prove themselves. But here it's kind of like, everything kind of knows like the way, you know what I mean. Everybody need to find a way how to fit in that kind of like system of what they want, you know what I mean. It's not like somebody need to prove something. It's more like how you fit in a team. You don't need to prove nothing.

So you just need to fit with these team guys. Obviously you're not going to shoot more times than Steph Curry, you know what I mean. So you need to find how to set up with that team. That's really like not so many teams have, where it's like fighting for position or something like that; it's just like natural for you to compete here -- not against each other for every spot.

Q. Did you want to be a part of this franchise as much as fans seemingly wanted you to be?

DARIO Å ARIC: Yeah, I wanted to be. I'm happy I'm here. Obviously I didn't sign up for first day of free agency but I sign up fifth day of free agency. I'm happy to be here. I looked a little bit those couple days, I looked a little bit at the Warriors how they run stuff, a little bit more kind of like to see how I can fit there, and obviously I think I can. So I'm really like happy to be here. I hope the fans are happy. I hope I'll prove to fans I deserve to be part of this team, and I hope we have a great season.