Feb. 14—OKLAHOMA CITY — During pregame warmups for Monday’s game against New Orleans, Dario Saric needed help.

The newest member of the Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t know the locations of his shooting spots, and he needed assistant coach Dave Bliss to point him in the right direction.

The pregame routine is just one of a few things that are going to be new for Saric.

The Thunder acquired Saric and a 2029 secondround pick from Phoenix in exchange for Dariuz Bazley last Thursday. It’s a new position for the 28-year-old, who is now the oldest player on the Thunder’s roster.

“I try to forget I’m the oldest, if I’m being honest,” Saric said during Monday’s availability, his first with the Thunder. “I need to get a haircut and shave a little bit so I can stay around the guys.”

It’s a big adjustment for Saric. He spent three seasons with a Phoenix team that has been one of the top teams in the NBA in recent years. He played a role off the bench in the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals in 2021.

Now, Saric is a member of the youngest roster in the league and a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020. But it’s not like Saric is unfamiliar with being traded.

The Croatia native has been a productive NBA player since making his NBA debut with Philadelphia in 2016. He averaged 12.8 points and 14.6 points per game, respectively, for the Sixers in his first two seasons before he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018.

Saric spent less than one season with the Timberwolves before he was traded to the Suns in 2019.

He wasn’t necessarily expecting to be traded last week — he was taking a nap when he was told he was headed to the Thunder — but he’s learned how to adjust quickly.

“You’re always surprised (when you get traded),” Saric said. “That’s kind of how things go. At the end of the day, (I’m) happy to be here. Happy to be part of this organization, a part of this group of young, talented guys who have a lot of years in front of them to play basketball.”

It was more important for the Thunder to acquire the second-round pick from Phoenix, and Saric’s age doesn’t align with the Thunder’s timetable. Still, that doesn’t mean Saric can’t help the Thunder.

Saric has developed a reputation as a solid outside shooter. He’s shot 36 percent from the 3-point line for his career, and he’s averaging 11.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for his career.

That’s something he can bring to the table, but Saric is willing to play whatever role is needed.

“I talked to (my) agent, I talked to the (Thunder coach Mark Daigneault) yesterday, I talked to (Thunder general manager) Sam (Presti) yesterday,” Saric said. “I talked to a lot of coaches who used to be part of the Thunder organization. They tell me amazing things and tell me about (how) high-level organization the Thunder (is). So coming here the last two days and seeing that in person is just amazing.”

“I’m open-minded and (Daigneault) said he’s openminded.”

Saric didn’t play in the Thunder’s loss to New Orleans on Monday. But with the team just a half-game back of the 10th seed, Saric could help the team’s playoff push.

“I think I can help in a couple of areas.”