Wizards draft Alex Sarr No. 2 after trading Deni Avdija to Trail Blazers

ESPN was first to report the trade, which is in line with the Wizards’ big-picture goals as they enter the second year of a rebuild: Look to gather trade capital and set themselves up to acquire high lottery picks in coming drafts. There is plenty of talent in the 2024 draft class, but no one as tantalizing as Cooper Flagg, next year’s projected No. 1 pick who is slated to attend Duke for the upcoming season.

In the meantime, Sarr — the second Frenchman taken in Wednesday’s draft after Atlanta took Zaccharie Risacher first, and the second Frenchman in a row the Wizards have drafted after Bilal Coulibaly — is an excellent fit. A fluid big man with an all-around game, he is a talented shot-blocker with the ability to shoot from the perimeter and a maturity that comes from playing in Australia’s National Basketball League. He averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 17.2 minutes per game for Perth, which had the NBL’s second-best record.

Most importantly, his versatility and sky-high potential means the Wizards will have options down the line. Develop him into a star, and Sarr could shine in Washington long term. Or he could help Washington acquire a championship-caliber superstar far down the line.

Sarr’s impending arrival is one thing that could help soothe the sting of Avdija’s departure for fans. The other is that Washington flipped the 23-year-old for two first-round picks.

The Israel native had as close to a breakout season as one could have while playing for the second-worst team in the NBA, and he has endeared himself to Wizards fans since the organization drafted him ninth overall in 2020.

He averaged a career-high 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 50.6 percent from the field as the Wizards finished with a 15-67 record. And while still only 23, he became a locker room linchpin with his earnestness and sense of humor.

In Brogdon, the Wizards take on a 31-year-old guard entering the final year of a contract in which he is owed $22.5 million. A former standout at Virginia taken in the second round of the 2016 draft, Brogdon averaged 15.7 points while shooting 44 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc in 28.7 minutes across 39 games for the Trail Blazers.