The Washington Wizards began a much-needed rebuild, trading away long-time franchise centerpiece Bradley Beal and All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis.
They suffered through their worst season in franchise history during the 2023-24 year, and as a result, were rewarded with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
With that pick, the Wizards selected French big man Alex Sarr, who spent last year playing in the NBL in Australia. The Wizards also drafted Pittsburgh guard Bub Carrington with the 14th pick and Miami wing Kyshawn George with the 24th pick.
However, Sarr was the star of the show. In the weeks leading up to the draft, Sarr was projected to go first overall for a while, but he ended up falling to the Wizards at two. And they were psyched.
Wizards GM Will Dawkins got chased by kangaroos while scouting rookie Alex Sarr in Australia
The Wizards have had their eyes on Sarr for a while now, and according to a story told by Josh Robbins of The Athletic, they went to extreme lengths to keep their eyes on him.
Robbins reported that Wizards GM Will Dawkins spent a week in early March in the Perth area of Australia to watch Sarr play in the NBL, as he was playing for the Perth Wildcats at the time.
While he was there, Dawkins had a less-than-stellar run-in with a kangaroo.
"“I have video evidence to confirm this. There's a small island in Perth that you can ride into and go around, and they typically have kangaroos. We both met in the middle of our treks. Three of them looked at me. I looked at them. They came towards me, and I went the other way. But other than that, it was a very productive trip.”"Will Dawkins told Robbins
Perhaps the kangaroos were being protective of Sarr, hoping to keep him around in Australia. Maybe they were trying to prevent Dawkins from stealing him away and bringing him to DC.
Unfortunately for them, their step-in didn’t work, as the Wizards still went forward with selecting Sarr second overall. Now, he’s slated to be a centerpiece of what they are building in Washington moving forward.
Sarr is an absolute monster on the defensive side of the ball, and, combined with Bilal Coulibaly, the Wizards are creating an elite defensive foundation to build on.
Not even a group of kangaroos could prevent the Wizards from getting the guy they want, and now, they are ready to roll with Sarr, Carrington, and George as their core moving forward.
Sorry, Australia, but the Wizards got their guy. And nothing was going to get in their way.