French forward Alex Sarr isn’t looking to execute the ultimate power play on the night of the 2024 NBA draft but would prefer the Washington Wizards over the Atlanta Hawks, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN addressed the situation with Givony on Monday’s episode of his Hoop Collective podcast. He referenced in 2004 when Eli Manning didn’t want to go to the San Diego Chargers in the NFL draft and wound up getting traded to the New York Giants after the Chargers selected him first overall.
Givony chimed in to say why the circumstances are different with Sarr.
“I’ve been told that it’s not so much that Alex Sarr doesn’t want to play for Atlanta as much as he prefers to play for the Washington Wizards,” he said beginning at the 9:35 mark. “Maybe that’s semantics, it’s a polite way of saying it.”
In his newest mock draft with Givony, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo laid out why Sarr might see Washington as a more attractive fit.
“He is thought to be comfortable coming off the board one spot later, with the Wizards’ younger roster offering a clearer path to playing time and an opportunity to grow into an expanded role,” Woo wrote.
Sarr averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 27 games with the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s NBL. He’s widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2024 class.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman projected Sarr to go second to the Wizards in his most recent mock, comparing him to Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr.
“Ideally, his game evolves into something similar to Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., who blocks shots, drills threes and faces up with ease,” Wasserman wrote in his scouting report. “Even if Sarr isn’t creating effective or making shots, he should find ways to impact games around the basket at both ends, just like Jackson.”
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on June 19 the Hawks, who have the No. 1 overall pick, hadn’t to that point been able to schedule a personal workout with Sarr.
While that’s seemingly a telling indicator as to the 19-year-old’s feelings toward the organization, there’s nothing that ultimately prevents Atlanta from taking him and figuring out the rest from there.
In their postmortem for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2023-24 season, The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Joe Vardon, Jason Lloyd reported in May how Evan Mobley’s representatives “cautioned the Cavs prior to the 2021 draft not to select” him. Mobley has nonetheless spent the last three years in Cleveland and could be headed toward a massive extension.
The Hawks could use the general uncertainty around Sarr to their advantage. In Monday’s mock, Givony reported some around the NBA believe Atlanta is giving the impression it will take the 7-footer to entice the Wizards to trade up from the No. 2 pick.
In most years, fans typically have a good idea of who’s going first overall in the NBA draft because there’s at least one prospect who stands above the rest. That kind of player isn’t sitting on the board right now, and Sarr’s unwillingness to meet with the Hawks only adds to the uncharacteristic intrigue surrounding the No. 1 pick.