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Locked On Wizards
It's been a busy week of news between Trae Young and NBA Draft buzz, but the Washington Wizards released unfortunate news on Monday, as they announced incoming third-year center Alex Sarr underwent surgery for a fracture on his right foot.
For Sarr and the Wizards, it's fortunate that he's expected to make a full recovery before the start of the season, they said in a press release. However, it takes away valuable time he could've spent refining his game ahead of his most important season yet.
It also reveals the Wizards' need to add depth to their front court this offseason.
As long as Anthony Davis isn't moved before the season, the Wizards should open up with an intriguing duo of bigs between him and Sarr. How long will the duo last? That's a good question. Who are the options off the bench? Another question worth exploring.
When it comes to depth, it's thin, for now. Washington has a solid young big in Tristan Vukčević, who the team drafted in the second-round in 2023. Vukčević flashes well on offense in his minutes, but questions around his defense are the wildcard.
In March, Vukčević signed a new three-year, $9 million dollar contract with the team. He'd under contract for at least 2026, but the team has a club-option for 2027 before he could hit free agency in 2028.
In 49 games in 2025, he averaged nine points and three rebounds on 47.9% shooting.
Another player Washington will have to make a decision on is Julian Reese. The former Maryland product joined the team on a two-way contract for the final month of the season, and he showed off impressive rebounding ability despite being slightly undersized at 6'9.
Reese averaged 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in just 13 games played for Washington. He had not played in an NBA game prior, as he spent time with Raptors 905 in the G-League.
Either way, the Wizards could use depth going forward. For starters, the length of Davis' Wizards tenure may be as short as up until the trade deadline. Davis likely wants a new contract, but if the Wizards don't plan on agreeing on a new deal with the 10-time All-Star, it appears more likely an eventual trade could be their play.
Davis has made it known he wishes to play for a contender in 2026. Washington likely isn't that. However, Davis' value is low due to his injury history, so him playing games for the Wizards and helping them win could boost his value to potential contending teams at the deadline.
Injury itself is another conversation when it comes to both Sarr and Davis. For starters, the Wizards will likely have to manage Davis' minutes to keep him upright. This could include resting him during back-to-backs -- which is what the team did with Khris Middleton last year. In Davis' short-lived Dallas tenure, he was unable to play more than five games in a row before he was sidelined in some fashion.
For Sarr, it's reasonable to wonder what his durability looks like as well. The french big has missed 49 games in the first two years of his career. Additionally, foot injuries on seven footers have historically been troublesome news. This doesn't mean it is for Sarr, but it could be something to monitor.
If the Wizards choose to address the lack of depth in the front court, there's multiple avenues to do so.
The Wizards possess the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, which projects to give Washington around $15 million dollars it can spend in free agency. A potential option in free agency could feature the team reuniting with Marvin Bagley III. Bagley was traded to Dallas when Washington acquired Davis at the trade deadline.
Bagley has already been traded from Washington twice in his career, but both stints have been fairly productive for former top-three pick.
Bagley recently was seen posting on his Instagram story an image from his Wizards tenure, so perhaps, he could be interested in joining the team once again. Whether or not Washington goes that route, they could also draft a big.
It appears unlikely the Wizards take Cameron Boozer, so the big would have to come later in the draft. Washington holds second-round picks at 51 and 60, where they could go this direction. If Washington wants to be aggressive, it could try and trade back into the first round, where they could find multiple enticing options.
The Wizards have worked out multiple PF/C options during the pre draft process, according to HoopsHype.
The Wizard have worked out six PF/C options that are top 75 prospects. Some names include; Baba Miller, Felix Okpara, Maliq Brown, Tobi Lawal, Rafael Castro, and Trey Kaufman-Renn.
As the offseason continues, what the Wizards do in the front court will be a storyline to follow.
Wizards Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Wizards. Create an account, click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!
Continue reading...
It's been a busy week of news between Trae Young and NBA Draft buzz, but the Washington Wizards released unfortunate news on Monday, as they announced incoming third-year center Alex Sarr underwent surgery for a fracture on his right foot.
For Sarr and the Wizards, it's fortunate that he's expected to make a full recovery before the start of the season, they said in a press release. However, it takes away valuable time he could've spent refining his game ahead of his most important season yet.
It also reveals the Wizards' need to add depth to their front court this offseason.
As long as Anthony Davis isn't moved before the season, the Wizards should open up with an intriguing duo of bigs between him and Sarr. How long will the duo last? That's a good question. Who are the options off the bench? Another question worth exploring.
When it comes to depth, it's thin, for now. Washington has a solid young big in Tristan Vukčević, who the team drafted in the second-round in 2023. Vukčević flashes well on offense in his minutes, but questions around his defense are the wildcard.
In March, Vukčević signed a new three-year, $9 million dollar contract with the team. He'd under contract for at least 2026, but the team has a club-option for 2027 before he could hit free agency in 2028.
In 49 games in 2025, he averaged nine points and three rebounds on 47.9% shooting.
Another player Washington will have to make a decision on is Julian Reese. The former Maryland product joined the team on a two-way contract for the final month of the season, and he showed off impressive rebounding ability despite being slightly undersized at 6'9.
Reese averaged 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in just 13 games played for Washington. He had not played in an NBA game prior, as he spent time with Raptors 905 in the G-League.
Either way, the Wizards could use depth going forward. For starters, the length of Davis' Wizards tenure may be as short as up until the trade deadline. Davis likely wants a new contract, but if the Wizards don't plan on agreeing on a new deal with the 10-time All-Star, it appears more likely an eventual trade could be their play.
Davis has made it known he wishes to play for a contender in 2026. Washington likely isn't that. However, Davis' value is low due to his injury history, so him playing games for the Wizards and helping them win could boost his value to potential contending teams at the deadline.
Injury itself is another conversation when it comes to both Sarr and Davis. For starters, the Wizards will likely have to manage Davis' minutes to keep him upright. This could include resting him during back-to-backs -- which is what the team did with Khris Middleton last year. In Davis' short-lived Dallas tenure, he was unable to play more than five games in a row before he was sidelined in some fashion.
For Sarr, it's reasonable to wonder what his durability looks like as well. The french big has missed 49 games in the first two years of his career. Additionally, foot injuries on seven footers have historically been troublesome news. This doesn't mean it is for Sarr, but it could be something to monitor.
If the Wizards choose to address the lack of depth in the front court, there's multiple avenues to do so.
The Wizards possess the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, which projects to give Washington around $15 million dollars it can spend in free agency. A potential option in free agency could feature the team reuniting with Marvin Bagley III. Bagley was traded to Dallas when Washington acquired Davis at the trade deadline.
Bagley has already been traded from Washington twice in his career, but both stints have been fairly productive for former top-three pick.
Bagley recently was seen posting on his Instagram story an image from his Wizards tenure, so perhaps, he could be interested in joining the team once again. Whether or not Washington goes that route, they could also draft a big.
It appears unlikely the Wizards take Cameron Boozer, so the big would have to come later in the draft. Washington holds second-round picks at 51 and 60, where they could go this direction. If Washington wants to be aggressive, it could try and trade back into the first round, where they could find multiple enticing options.
The Wizards have worked out multiple PF/C options during the pre draft process, according to HoopsHype.
The Wizard have worked out six PF/C options that are top 75 prospects. Some names include; Baba Miller, Felix Okpara, Maliq Brown, Tobi Lawal, Rafael Castro, and Trey Kaufman-Renn.
As the offseason continues, what the Wizards do in the front court will be a storyline to follow.
Wizards Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Wizards. Create an account, click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!
Continue reading...
