Dario Saric expects to be ‘110 percent’ for Sixers’ season opener after lower-back soreness during preseason

Dario Saric was a full participant at 76ers practices on Thursday and Friday after missing Monday's preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks with lower-back soreness.

"I should be like 110 percent ready for the Boston game,"  Saric said of Tuesday's season opener against the Celtics at TD Garden.

Saric had been listed as day-to-day. The Sixers' coaches were not concerned but still decided to rest him in the final preseason game.

The Sixers lost, 115-112, to the Mavericks at the Shenzhen Universiade Centre in the second of two NBA China Games between the teams.

Saric averaged 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds last season. He has career averages of 13.7 points and 6.5 points in 159 games through two seasons. The Sixers acquired him in the 2014 NBA draft, and the Croatian spent two seasons playing professionally in Turkey before joining the team. He finished the 2016-17 season as the runner-up for the NBA rookie of the year.

The team announced the signings of Cory Jefferson and Darin Johnson on Friday. To make room for the free agents, the Sixers waived Matt Farrell and DJ Hogg two days after announcing their signings.

Jefferson and Johnson are also expected to be waived before Monday's 5 p.m. NBA deadline to cut rosters to 15 full-time players and a pair of two-way contracts.

This move will help the Sixers retain the rights to Jefferson and Johnson for their NBA G-League team, the Delaware Blue Coats if another team doesn't sign them.  The Sixers will do the same with Hogg, Farrell, Norvel Pelle and Anthony Brown. All six players will have Exhibit 10 contracts.

Jefferson, a 6-foot-9 forward, played for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Series A and EuroLeague last season. After his season with Milano concluded, the former Baylor standout played for the Texas Legends of the G-League.

Johnson, a 6-7 guard, played for the Blue Coats last season.