The Washington Wizards entered the offseason with a few goals in mind.
1.Add more young talent
2. Land a capable veteran
3. Get through the offseason healthy
General manager Will Dawkins completed the first two objectives within the first month of the offseason, trading for both CJ McCollum and Cam Whitmore adding to the abundance of incoming talent assembled in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Two out of three goals isn't so bad, but the problem is, goal No. 3 was arguably the most important of them all.
With Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George all suiting up overseas this offseason to represent their home countries, the fear of a potential injury to come with the increased time playing against competition added a sense of concern to the Wizards' and their fanbase.
Obviously, the opportunity to get extended reps against other top talent would put the team's young players in position to have a huge offseason of improvement.
However, worst-case scenario proved to come true, with Alex Sarr's run with the French national team coming to an end due to a calf injury that will sideline him for not only the rest of the EuroBasket, but for a lengthy period of time as the offseason nears an end.
Merci Alex 💙
— Équipes de France de Basket (@FRABasketball) September 2, 2025
Touché au mollet face à la Slovénie, Alexandre Sarr (20 ans, 7 sélections) doit mettre un terme à son @EuroBasket. Le groupe France partage la déception de l'intérieur et lui souhaite un prompt rétablissement.#TeamFranceBasket | #PassionnémentBleu | #EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/4qqFmq0mm2
Sarr showed plenty of promise in Summer League and with the chance to compete with France, it seemed to be a huge opportunity for the Wizards' dynamic 7-footer to improve his game and gear up towards what many hope could be a huge sophomore season.
Unfortunately, the French product's offseason undoubtedly took a turn for the worse suffering an injury that's severe enough to sideline him for the coming weeks.
The extent of the injury is currently unknown, but with the NBA season looming close, the timing couldn't be worse.
Washington's forward suffering an injury alone is disappointing, but if we're being brutally honest, a calf injury is good news compared to the variety of other injuries that could've been dealt.
Nonetheless, as we all know, when it comes to calf injuries, the recovery is a tricky process depending on the serverity.
Looking at past calf injuries that have loomed large such as Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and most recently Tyrese Haliburton, it will be extremely important for the Wizards and their medical staff to be patient with Sarr's return and rehab.
Making sure the big man is 100% before returning will be necessary, especially to avoid the biggest nightmare of all.