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In a few days from now, the NBA will be playing host to the highly awaited 78 edition of the draft. While players like Bronny James and Zaccharie Risacher are sure to garner attention, another athlete who fans will be on the lookout for is 19-year-old Alex Sarr. Following in the footsteps of rising star Victor Wembanyama, this French prodigy was also expected to be the No. 1 pick, until a few days ago. Being on the same pedestal once occupied by Wemby did not stop the potential top pick from snubbing the latter in his player ranking!
In an interview with Bleacher Report, Sarr was asked to “say something” when asked if any of the players being called out to him were better than Victor Wembanyama. The interviewer went down the list naming Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green, Chet Holmgren, and Bam Adebayo. The youngster didn’t have to think for even a second before choosing Adebayo as his pick over Wemby. Responding to a question in such a quick manner, without a second thought, is surely set to sting the fans of the San Antonio Spurs poster boy.
sfomfoosf pic.twitter.com/qW9FEDzVYw
— Vito Corleonie (@VCorleonie) June 22, 2024
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As for Wembanyama, the snub could not have come at a worse time. The day that Sarr’s reply went viral was the same one during which the 20-year-old commemorated the first anniversary of his own draft. He highlighted the occasion by taking to his X handle and penning, “Happy 1 year anniversary @spurs”. The reminder message was accompanied by another remark in his native language, which translated to “Between them, they only alternate. I remain in my place in the top 5. I’m moving away from the last four.”
« Entre eux, ils n'font qu'alterner
Moi j'reste à ma place dans l'top 5
J'm'éloigne des quatre derniers » pic.twitter.com/qQyzsF2XIH— Wemby (@wemby) June 22, 2024
While the Spurs had one of their worst records during the 2023-24 season, going 22-60, Victor Wembanyama established one of the best rookie records of any NBA player to have come to the league. The No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft became the fastest to reach 1000+ points, 500+ rebounds, and 150+ blocks, the youngest to make 20 points with 20 rebounds in a single game, and much more. Unfortunately, his overall prowess still wasn’t good enough to earn him a spot over Bam Adebayo!
Is there a possibility for Alex Sarr to unite with Victor Wembanyama?
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After possessing the 5 worst record, the Spurs are eligible to have the 4 and the 8 pick during the upcoming draft. With Victor Wembanyama having proved himself as the next best hope for the team, the franchise might be planning to build an exclusive roster around him. This has convinced former ESPN reporter Marc Stein that they may attempt to reevaluate their position and acquire Alex Sarr.
“Sarr is widely projected to go No. 2 overall to Washington……..but rumbles about (Spurs) interest in jumping up from No. 4 to No. 1 by constructing a trade with the Hawks haven’t gone away,” Stein reported a few days ago. According to reports, Sarr was recently overthrown by Zaccharie Risacher as the #1 potential pick. This means that the Washington Wizards, who have the 2 overall pick on their hands, or the Houston Rockets (3 overall pick) can swoop in.
In such a situation, the Spurs can either hope for the best or make some negotiations to move their draft pick higher. While Victor Wembanyama and Alex Sarr have never competed against each other, the latter joining the Spurs would group the Frenchmen. It would also give the franchise an offensive boost that would allow them to recover from their bad track record.
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Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.